Celestial Bodies Flashcards
(14 cards)
What is astronomy?
Astronomy is the study of everything in space
What is a celestial body?
A celestial body is the name given to any object in space
What is an asteroid?
A rocky celestial body smaller than a planet, which orbits the sun. Most asteroids are found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter
What is a comet?
A ball of frozen gases, ice, rock and dust with a highly elliptical orbit — this means that its orbit moves in an oval rather than a circle
What is a meteor?
A solid object from outer space that enters earths atmosphere e.g. shooting star or meteor shower
What is a planet?
A planet is any object that orbits a star, is large enough to form a rough sphere under its own gravity and has cleared its orbit
What are all the names of the planets?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune
What is a star?
A star is a ball of gas that emits light and heat due to nuclear explosions in its core
What is a solar system?
A solar system is a star and all the objects that orbit it
What is a galaxy?
A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust and billions of stars and there solar systems held together by gravity. Our solar system with Earth in it is called the Milky Way
What is a moon?
Any natural satellite of a planet — Satellite orbits a celestial body
What are terrestrial planets?
They are rocky, solid planets
E.g Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars
What are Jovian planets?
Planets that are made of gas
E.g. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
What is gravity?
Gravity is the force that pulls matter together
The bigger an object, the stronger its gravity
Planets mass and size determine its gravitational pull
Speed of a planet keeps it in orbit around the sun
Each planet has its own gravity based on its size and the speed it travels at
