Sun, Earth, & Moon Vocabulary

a celestial body orbiting around a planet or star.

• satellite
• sun
• moon
• crater

the star at the center of the Solar System that supplies heat and light to earth; its enormous gravity keep the Solar System in orbit.

• satellite
• sun
• craters
• moon

a natural force that causes two objects to pull toward each other on their mass and the distance between them.

• gravity
• orbit
• atmosphere
• axis

bowl-shaped indents or cavities on the surface of a planet, moon, or asteroid that are caused by a collision with another object, such as a meteorite.

• gravity
• orbit
• craters
• axis

the path one object takes as it revolves (moves) around another object.

• gravity
• orbit
• rotate
• axis

a natural satellite that orbits a planet. 

• sun
• atmosphere
• moon
• craters

the whole mass of air surrounding the Earth.

• gravity
• atmosphere
• axis
• physical features

to spin on an axis

• orbit
• rotate
• axis
• atmosphere

a line, real or imaginary, around which something spins

• orbit
• rotate
• gravity
• axis

landforms, bodies of water, climate and other features that describe the outward appearance of something.

• craters
• axis
• satellite
• physical features