Planets And Other Space Objects

Comet

A comet is an icy chunk of frozen gases, water, and dust that orbits the sun over and over again.

Planet

A planet orbits the sun, is sphere like, and they only share their orbit with their moons.

Meteoroid

A rocky object in space, smaller than an asteroid.

Dwarf Planet

A tiny planet that orbits the sun, and shares it's orbit with more than just a moon.

Kuiper Belt

An area full of small, icy objects beyond Neptune. One of the objects is Pluto.

Asteroid

Asteroids are small irregularly shaped pieces of rock, metal, and dust. They orbit the sun.

Asteroid Belt

Between Mars and Jupiter, an area full of thousands of asteroids.

Name 5 ways the planets are different.

Inner planets have rocky surfaces, but outer planets are mainly made of gas. Inner planets are close to each other, and outer planets are farther apart. Inner planets are warmer, outer's are cooler. Inner planets are closer to the sun, while outer planets are farther apart. Some planets have moons, while some don't.

What allows a planet to hold an atmosphere?

It depends how strong the gravity is. The bigger the planet, the stronger the gravity is, and the easier the planet can hold an atmosphere.

How is Mars similar to earth?

It has almost the same tilt which allows it to have seasons, and are days are about the same.

Why can we not live on Venus?

It has too much carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, making it too hot. It would also crush life in a second.

Outer Planets

Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are the outer planets in that order. They are the four farthest planets from the sun.

Why is Pluto now a dwarf planet rather than a planet?

Pluto is a dwarf planet now because it shares it's orbit with other objects besides just a moon.

Terrestrial Planets

Rocky and dense planets, earth-like in composition, and they are earth, Mercury, Venus, and Mars.

Inner Planets

The 4 planets that are closest to the sun, they are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars in that order.

List three facts about the Kuiper Belt.

The Kuiper Belt is located beyond Neptune. It is full of small, icy objects, and it contains Pluto.

​Name the smallest planet. Name the largest planet.

The smallest planet is Mercury, and the largest is Jupiter.

What holds planets in their orbit?

The speed of the planet and the gravity of the sun holds a planet in orbit.

Name three dwarf planets that are in the Kuiper Belt.

The three dwarf planets are Pluto, Maki-Maki, and Ares.

Where are most asteroids located?

They are mostly located in the asteroid belt.

List four ways that inner and outer planets are similar.

They do not share orbits it's similar size structures, only moons. They all have a rotation. They all go around the sun, and they are spherical.

What happens to a meteoroid when it enters earth's atmosphere? Why can we see them?

We can see them because once it enters our atmosphere, it starts to burn up.

Meteorite

When a meteor comes into contact with earth.

Meteor

When a meteoroid enters our atmosphere.

List four ways god made earth perfect for life.

When an asteroid enters the atmosphere, it will burn up. It is tilted, which gives us seasons to balance out the temperature. We have the right amount of gravity, and we are the perfect distance from the sun.

What are the three parts of a comet? What causes the tail of the comet to form?

The three parts are the tail, the nucleus, and the coma. We see the tails because when it comes close to the sun it starts to melt leaving behind a trail of parts of it.

Gas Giants

The four planets that are farthest from the sun, which are made of gas and they are very large. They may have a solid core.

Describe the composition, size, relative distance of the inner planets,

The inner planets are spherical, rocky, and earth like in composition. They are fairly close together and they are the closest planets to the sun.

​Name one dwarf planet that is in the Asteroid Belt.

The one planet is Ceres.

Describe the composition, size, relative distance of the outer planets.

The outer planets are called gas giants, because they are very large and their surfaces are just gases. They are far apart from each other and they are the farthest planets from the sun.