Solar System Vocabulary

The region between the inner and outer planets where most asteroids orbit the Sun.

(a)  

Objects that are located in space, such as planets, moons, and stars.

(a)  

Large and small rocks or metallic masses orbiting the Sun; made up of materials similar to those that formed the planets.

(a)  

Glowing, heated dust and vaporized gas that surrounds the icy comet nucleus as it travels near the Sun; solar winds cause heated gases to stream out of the nucleus and form a tail that points away from the Sun.

(a)  

A celestial body of ice, dust, and rock with an elongated and elliptical orbit.

(a)  

The rocky, terrestrial planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, whose orbits are inside the asteroid belt.

(a)  

The force that causes objects with mass to attract one another.

(a)  

A small object that enters Earth's atmosphere from space and burns due to friction, emitting light.

(a)  

Remains of a meteoroid that strike the surface of a planet or moon.

(a)  

A celestial body that revolves around a planet.

(a)