Solar system crossword puzzle

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Across
  1. 2. System: The solar system consists of the Sun and all the celestial objects, including planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and dwarf planets, that orbit around it due to its gravitational pull.
  2. 6. Pluto is a dwarf planet located in the Kuiper Belt, a region of icy bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It was once considered the ninth planet in the solar system but was reclassified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union in 2006.
  3. 8. Belt: The Kuiper Belt is a region of space beyond the orbit of Neptune that contains numerous small icy bodies, including dwarf planets, comets, and other trans-Neptunian objects. It is considered to be the source of short-period comets.
  4. 10. Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun. It is similar in composition to Uranus and is known for its deep blue coloration due to the presence of methane in its atmosphere. Neptune has a system of faint rings and a large moon named Triton.
  5. 12. The Sun is the star at the center of our solar system, around which all the planets and other celestial objects orbit. It is a massive, luminous sphere of hot plasma, primarily composed of hydrogen and helium.
  6. 14. Meteorites are solid objects, typically fragments of asteroids or other celestial bodies, that survive entry through Earth's atmosphere and strike the surface of the planet. They provide valuable information about the composition and history of the solar system.
  7. 15. Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is similar in size and composition to Earth. It has a thick atmosphere composed mainly of carbon dioxide and is known for its extreme surface temperatures and dense cloud cover.
  8. 16. The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite, orbiting around it at a relatively close distance. It is the fifth-largest satellite in the solar system and plays a significant role in influencing Earth's tides and stabilizing its axial tilt.
  9. 17. Eris is a dwarf planet located in the scattered disc, a region of space beyond the Kuiper Belt. It is one of the largest known dwarf planets and was discovered in 2005.
  10. 18. Gravity is the force of attraction between objects with mass. In the context of the solar system, gravity plays a central role in determining the orbits of planets around the Sun, the motion of moons around planets, and the formation and stability of celestial bodies.
Down
  1. 1. Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only known planet to support life. It has a diverse range of environments, including oceans, continents, and an atmosphere that sustains a rich diversity of organisms.
  2. 2. Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and is known for its distinctive ring system, composed mainly of ice particles and rocky debris. It is a gas giant with a lower density than water, meaning it would float if placed in a giant bathtub.
  3. 3. Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and is unique among the planets in the solar system for its tilted axis of rotation, which causes it to appear to roll on its side as it orbits the Sun. It is composed mainly of hydrogen, helium, and methane.
  4. 4. Planets are celestial bodies that orbit stars and do not produce their own light but instead reflect light from the star they orbit. In our solar system, there are eight recognized planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
  5. 5. Mercury is the smallest and innermost planet in the solar system, orbiting closest to the Sun. It is a rocky planet with a heavily cratered surface and extreme temperature variations between its day and night sides.
  6. 7. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and is primarily composed of hydrogen and helium. It is known for its massive size, strong magnetic field, and iconic Great Red Spot—a giant storm system in its atmosphere.
  7. 9. Belt: The asteroid belt is a region of space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter that contains numerous irregularly shaped rocky objects called asteroids. These asteroids range in size from small boulders to large bodies several hundred kilometers in diameter.
  8. 11. Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and is classified as a dwarf planet. It is composed mainly of rock and ice and was the first dwarf planet to be visited by a spacecraft, NASA's Dawn mission.
  9. 13. A satellite is a celestial body that orbits around a planet or other larger body. Satellites can be natural, like moons, or artificial, like human-made spacecraft placed into orbit around planets for various purposes such as communication, navigation, and scientific research.
  10. 14. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and is often called the "Red Planet" due to its reddish appearance caused by iron oxide on its surface. It has a thin atmosphere and surface features such as canyons, volcanoes, and polar ice caps.