Astronomy

Question 1

Asteroids

Answer 1

small, rocky bodies in the sun’s orbit

Question 2

Neptune

Answer 2

the eighth planet from the sun; outside the asteroid belt; blue because methane in the air absorbs red light. It emits more energy than it receives from the sun.

Question 3

White Dwarf

Answer 3

a small star with high density; often the size of a planet

Question 4

Sedna

Answer 4

another dwarf planet; much farther from the sun than Pluto;

Question 5

Solar System

Answer 5

A star, as well as the planets, satellites, asteroids, and all the other objects orbiting it. They travel together through space.

Question 6

Venus

Answer 6

Planet #2. Inner planets are in the asteroid belt. It is slightly smaller than Earth and has the same mass and chemical makeup.

Question 7

Satellite

Answer 7

Moons which orbit the planets

Question 8

Exoplanets

Answer 8

planets which orbit stars outside our own solar system

Question 9

Planet

Answer 9

a body going around a star that is big enough to clear out the junk in its path and has enough gravity to stay round.

A body moving in orbit around a star which has enough gravity to make it round.

Question 10

Period (of a Comet)

Answer 10

the amount of time it takes for a comet to orbit the sun

Question 11

Moons

Answer 11

satellites which orbit planets

Question 12

Binary Stars

Answer 12

a system with two stars; either both stars move around the same point or one star moves around the other.

Question 13

Saturn

Answer 13

the sixth planet from the sun, an outer planet (outside the asteroid belt), the least dense planet, and it has a complicated ring system.

Question 14

Uranus

Answer 14

the seventh planet from the sun, outside of the asteroid belt, mostly made of rock and ice, with 27 known moons.

Question 15

Comet

Answer 15

A body made of ice and dust that circles the sun. It has a “tail” made of gas and dust.

Question 16

Nebula

Answer 16

a gas and dust cloud in space

Question 17

Dwarf Planet

Answer 17

a small planet not large enough to clear its orbit of debris
Ex: Pluto

Question 18

Earth

Answer 18

the third planet from the sun; an inner planet (inside the asteroid belt); the only known livable planet; 71% of its surface is covered with liquid water

Question 19

Meteorite

Answer 19

what remains of a meteor after it hits the surface of the earth

Question 20

Oort Cloud

Answer 20

a shell of comet bodies which orbit the sun

Question 21

Neutron Star

Answer 21

a small star with high density; made of closely packed neutrons

Question 22

Meteor

Answer 22

a meteoroid that has entered Earth’s atmosphere

Question 23

Red/Blue Dwarfs

Answer 23

Red dwarfs are small stars with low mass and a cool surface. Blue dwarfs form from red dwarfs when all the hydrogen is used up.

Question 24

Red/Blue Giants

Answer 24

Large stars; red giants are bright but have cool surfaces, while blue giants are bright but have hot surfaces.

Question 25

Celestial Bodies

Answer 25

a physical object in space which has observable characteristics
Ex: planet

Question 26

Constellations

Answer 26

a star grouping which forms a pattern; we have ascribed images to the constellations

Question 27

Black Hole

Answer 27

an object with enough gravity to stop radiation or matter from escaping.

Question 28

Pluto

Answer 28

Until recently, it was called the ninth planet from the sun. Now, it’s generally called a minor planet or dwarf planet, and it has five moons.

Question 29

Galaxies

Answer 29

a system of stars and their systems held together by gravity

Question 30

Jupiter

Answer 30

the fifth planet from the sun. It is an outer planet, which means it is outside of the asteroid belt. It is the biggest planet and has more mass than all the other planets put together. has four really big moons; 90 percent hydrogen and 10 percent helium.

Question 31

Mars

Answer 31

the fourth planet from the sun; an inner planet (inside the asteroid belt); the “Red Planet”; home to Olympus Mons, the highest mountain in the solar system;

Question 32

Absolute Magnitude

Answer 32

the actual amount of light a star gives off

Question 33

Stars

Answer 33

a gaseous body which produces radiant energy through nuclear fusion reactions

Question 34

Pulsar

Answer 34

A neutron star that spins quickly and sends out radio waves in pulses.

Question 35

Mercury

Answer 35

the first planet to orbit the sun. It is an inner planet, which means it is inside the asteroid belt. It is about the size of Earth’s moon and has a large iron core.