Radience

Solar System

Science

asteroid

a body of rock and metal that orbits the Sun
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asteroid belt

the region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where many asteroids are found
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astronomical unit

the average distance between Earth and the Sun, about 150 million km, or 93 million miles
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chromosphere

the middle layer of the Sun's atmosphere
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coma

the fuzzy head of a comet, made of ice and comet dust
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comet

a body of ice, rock, and dust that orbits the Sun
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ellipse

an ellipse is an oval shape, the orbit of planets are shaped like an ellipse
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gas giant

a large planet made up mostly of gases, like Jupiter or Saturn
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meteor

a streak of light created when a meteoroid is heated by Earth’s atmosphere
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meteorite

a meteoroid that lands on the surface of Earth, a moon, or a planet
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meteoroid

a small piece of rock or metal that orbits the Sun
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nuclear fusion

the combining of two nuclei to form a single nucleus, this releases energy
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nucleus solar system

the solid inner core of a comet
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photosphere

the surface layer of the Sun that gives off light
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prominence

a huge reddish loop of plasma that protrudes from the Sun’s surface
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ring

a flat, thin disk of ice and rock particles that orbit a planet, like Saturn
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solar flare

an eruption of gas from the Sun's surface, that occurs when loops in sunspot regions suddenly connect
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solar system

a group of planets and other objects that revolve around a sun
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sunspot

a spot on the Sun which appears darker because it is not as hot as other areas
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terrestrial planet

one of the four rocky planets of the inner solar system, Mercury, Venus, Earth or Mars
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