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Details Title: Solar System Description: Chapter 2 Total Flash Cards: 24 Created: 08/27/2007 11:30:32	To study from this set of flash cards, or to create your own your own study flash cards, register HERE. If you are already a registered user, CLICK HERE.
Cards Term asteroid Definition objects revolving around the sun that are too small and too numerous to be considered planetss Term asteroid belt Definition the region of the solar system between the orbit of mars and Jupiter where many asteroid are found Term chromosphere Definition the middle layer of the sun's atmosphere Term comet Definition a ball of ice and dust whose orbit is a long narrow ellipse Term core Definition the central part of the sun where nuclear fusion occurs Term corona Definition the outer layer of the sun's atmosphere Term ellipse Definition an elongated circle or oval shape the shape of the planets' orbit Term extraterrestrial life Definition life that arises outside of earth Term gas giant Definition the name given to the first four outer planets jupiter sateran Term geocentric Definition a description of the solar system in which all of the planets revolve around earth Term greenhouse effect Definition the trapping of heat by a planet's atmosphere Term heliocentric Definition a discription of the solar system in which all of the planets revolve around the sun Term inertia Definition the tendency of a moving object to continue in a straight line or a stationary object to remain in place Term meteor Definition a streak of light in the sky produced by the burning of a meteoroid in earth's atmosphere Term meteorite Definition a meteoroid that has hit earth's surface Term meteoroid Definition a chunk of rock or dust in space Term nuclear fusion Definition the process by hydrogen atoms join together to form helium releasing energy Term photosphere Definition the inner layer of the sun's atmosphere Term prominence Definition a loop of gas that protrudes from the sun's surface linking parts of sunspot regions Term retrograde rotation Definition the spinning motion of a planet from east to west opposite to the direction of rotation of most planets and moons Term solar flare Definition an explosion of hydrogen gas from the sun's surface that occurs when loop in the sunspot regions suddenly connect Term solar wind Definition a stream of electricity charged particles produced by the sun's corona Term sunspot Definition a dark area of gas on the sun that is cooler than surrounding gases Term terrestrial planets Definition the name given to the four inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars