Space vocabulary

1. – a single journey along an orbital path
3. – a gas that has no colour, taste, or smell, and which people need to live
5. – a substance with no fixed volume or shape that can expand freely
7. – a natural or human-made object that orbits Earth or another object in space
9. – a colourless, odourless, flammable gas commonly called “natural gas”
12. – an irregularly shaped rock that orbits a star
14. – a dwarf planet that was discovered in 1930 and that was once considered a planet
16. – the largest planet in our solar system and the fifth from the Sun; a gas giant
19. – the third planet from the Sun; the planet we live on
22. giant – a large planet that is mainly made up of gases
24. – like Earth; describes planets that are rocky and Earthlike in size
26. – to revolve around another object
27. – a large blue-green planet that is seventh from the Sun; a gas giant
30. – the force that pulls all objects toward each other
33. – the smallest planet in our solar system and the closest to the Sun; a terrestrial planet
34. – the centre of an object
35. – a space object made of ice and dust that orbits a star and develops a long, bright tail as it nears its star
36. – a small reddish planet that is fourth from the Sun; a terrestrial planet
37. planet – a nearly round object that orbits a star, is smaller than a planet, and is not a satellite of another object

2. – a small planet that is second from the Sun; a terrestrial planet
4. – anything that takes up space and has weight
6. belt – the area in space between Mars and Jupiter where most asteroids orbit together
8. – a body in outer space, made of hot gases, that shines in the night sky
10. – Earth’s only natural satellite
11. – a large blue planet that is eighth from the Sun; a gas giant
13. system – a group of objects in space that orbit a star
15. – a hole in the ground caused by the impact of an object from space
17. – a very large object that orbits a star
18. – the centre of a comet, made of small particles of ice and frozen gas that can turn to vapor and form a tail as the comet nears a star
20. – the second lightest chemical element; often a gas
21. – the lightest chemical element; often a gas
23. – a single turn of something around an axis or a fixed point; spinning
25. – a planet with large rings around it that is sixth from the Sun; a gas giant
28. Belt – an area of our solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune where a group of minor planets and other objects orbit the Sun
29. – a solid object that travels around a planet; a natural satellite
31. – a layer of gases surrounding a planet, star, or moon
32. – the bright, vaporized part of a comet that points away from the Sun
33. – the measure of the amount of matter in an object