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Space Vocabulary
5th period science
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Rotation | The spin of an object in space. |
Revolution | The elliptical motion of a body as it travels around another more massive body in space. |
Orbit | The elliptical path an object takes in space while revolving around another object. |
Gravity | Attracting force due to mass or rotation. |
Atmosphere | Mixture of gases that surround a planet. |
Sun | A medium sized star;the center of our solar system. |
Planet | A body that orbits around the sun or a star and does not produce its own light. |
Terrestrial Planet | A small, dense rock planet similar to Earth. |
Gas Giant | A large, gaseous planet of the outer solar system with no known solid surface. |
Natural Satellite | A smaller body that orbits around a larger body. |
Moon | A natural satellite of a planet. |
Artificial Satellite | Any human made object placed in orbit around an object in space. |
Comet | A small body of ice, rock, and cosmic dust loosely packed together. |
Meteoroid | A very small, rocky body found in space. |
Meteorite | A meteoroid that reaches Earth's surface without burning up completely. |
Meteor | A bright streak of light caused when a meteoroid or comet dust burns up in the atmosphere. |
Thrust | The force that accelerates a rocket. |
Orbital Velocity | The speed and direction a rocket must have in order to orbit Earth. |
Escape Velocity | The speed and direction a rocket must have in order to completely break away from a planet's gravitational pull. |
Centripetal Force | The force that causes an object to follow a curved path. |
Asteroid | A small,rocky body that revolves around the sun. |