Download Planetary Science Vocabulary #2 1. Asteroids Objects made of rock

Planetary Science Vocabulary #2
1. Asteroids
Objects made of rock, metal, and ice that are much
smaller than planets
Most are found between Mars and Jupiter
2. Comets
Large, icy objects that have a long, narrow orbital path
around the sun
3. Craters
Bowl-shaped depressions of various sizes on the Moon’s
surface
4. Crescent
Moon phase when less than ! of the side facing Earth is
illuminated
5. Eclipse
Occurs when object in space casts a shadow on another
object
6. Full
Moon phase when the entire side facing Earth is
illuminated
7. Gibbous
Moon phase when more than ! of the side facing Earth is
illuminated
8. Lunar Eclipse Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly lined up so that the
Earth is in the middle and casts a shadow on the Moon
CAN ONLY OCCUR DURING A FULL MOON
9. Meteor
Piece of rock from space that creates a bright streak of
light across the sky as it burns in the Earth’s atmosphere
AKA: Shooting Star
10. Meteorite
Piece of rock from space that makes it through Earth’s
atmosphere and lands on Earth
11. Meteoroid
An object, such as a rock, traveling through space
12. New
Moon phase when the side facing Earth cannot be seen
because it is not illuminated
13. Rays
White lines that extend in all directions from a crater
14. Regolith
Lunar soil on the moon’s surface
Moon Dust
15. Solar Eclipse The moon is between the Earth and Sun and casts a
shadow on the Earth
CAN ONLY OCCUR DURING A NEW MOON
16. Tides
Changes in the ocean water levels that take place in a
regular pattern; controlled mostly by the pull of gravity
between the Moon and Earth
17. Waning
Illuminated surface of the Moon as seen from Earth is
decreasing in size
18. Waxing
Illuminated surface of the Moon as seen from Earth is
increasing in size