Astronomy Terms

Front

What is a planet?

Back

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

Front

What are satellites?

Back

Objects that orbit a planet, which can be natural (like moons) or artificial (like space stations).

Front

What are asteroids?

Back

Small rocky bodies that orbit the sun, primarily found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Front

What are comets?

Back

Icy bodies that release gas or dust, forming a glowing coma and sometimes a tail when they approach the sun.

Front

What is a meteoroid?

Back

A small rocky or metallic body in outer space, smaller than an asteroid.

Front

What is a nebula?

Back

A giant cloud of dust and gas in space, often the birthplace of stars.

Front

What is a dwarf planet?

Back

A celestial body that orbits the sun and is spherical in shape but has not cleared its orbit of other debris.

Front

What is the axis of a planet?

Back

An imaginary line that passes through the center of a planet and its poles, around which the planet rotates.

Front

What does it mean to collide?

Back

To come into contact with forceful impact.

Front

What is hydrogen?

Back

The simplest and most abundant element in the universe, often found in stars.