Solar System Introduction Key Vocab Crossword Puzzle

QUESTIONS LIST:

• solar system : a set that includes a star and all of the matter that orbits it, including planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and other objects.
• asteroid : rocks floating around in space made of metal and rock. their size can vary.
• atmosphere : the gases held by gravity around earth and around other planets.
• comet : an icy rock that lets off gas and dust, which may form tails when it is flying close to a sun.
• crater : a large, bowl-shaped dent in the ground. they can be caused by an explosion or the impact of a meteorite.
• dwarf planet : objects that are round and orbit the sun but much smaller than a planet (smaller even than earth's moon), but it is not a moon. pluto is the best known example of one of these.
• galaxy : a collection of thousands to billions of stars held together by gravity. the _ we live in is called the milky way.
• moon : a natural object that travels around a bigger natural object. planets can have _ . dwarf planets can have _ . even some asteroids have _ ! astronomers usually call them satellites or natural satellites.
• orbit : the curved path that a planet, satellite, or spacecraft moves as it circles around another object.
• planet : a large body in outer space that circles around the sun or another star.
• star : a ball of shining gas, made mostly of hydrogen and helium, held together by its own gravity. turning hydrogen into helium creates the energy that makes stars shine.
• sun : the star in the center of our solar system.
• universe : all of space and time, and everything in it. it’s everything ever!