Spaceship Earth Vocab

Front

What is the solar system?

Back

The solar system is a collection of celestial bodies, including the Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, and comets, that are bound by gravity.

Front

What is a planet?

Back

A planet is a large celestial body that orbits a star, is spherical in shape, and has cleared its orbit of other debris.

Front

What is the difference between rotation and revolution?

Back

Rotation is the spinning of a planet on its axis, while revolution is the movement of a planet around the Sun.

Front

What is an orbit?

Back

An orbit is the curved path that an object takes as it moves around another object in space.

Front

What is a constellation?

Back

A constellation is a group of stars that forms a recognizable pattern in the night sky.

Front

What causes day and night?

Back

Day and night are caused by the rotation of the Earth on its axis, which exposes different parts of the Earth to the Sun.

Front

What is the significance of the Sun in our solar system?

Back

The Sun is the central star of our solar system and provides the light and heat necessary for life on Earth.

Front

What is a black hole?

Back

A black hole is a region in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape from it.

Front

What is the Milky Way?

Back

The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our solar system, along with billions of other stars and their planets.

Front

What is the difference between a star and a planet?

Back

A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma that generates energy through nuclear fusion, while a planet is a non-luminous body that orbits a star.