The Solar System Flashcards
Grade 5 · Science · Flashcards
Key terms and concepts about our solar system for Grade 5.
Flashcards
- Solar system
- The Sun and all objects that orbit it, including planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.
- Sun
- The star at the center of our solar system that provides light, heat, and gravitational pull.
- Mercury
- The smallest planet and closest to the Sun; has no atmosphere and extreme temperature swings.
- Venus
- The hottest planet due to its thick atmosphere; rotates backwards compared to most planets.
- Mars
- The red planet; has the tallest volcano (Olympus Mons) and a thin atmosphere of carbon dioxide.
- Jupiter
- The largest planet, a gas giant with a storm called the Great Red Spot that has lasted hundreds of years.
- Saturn
- A gas giant famous for its wide, bright rings made of ice and rock.
- Uranus
- An ice giant that rotates on its side with an axial tilt of 98 degrees.
- Neptune
- The farthest planet from the Sun; an ice giant with the strongest winds in the solar system.
- Orbit
- The curved path an object follows around another due to gravity.
- Revolution
- One complete trip of a planet around the Sun, defining that planet's year.
- Rotation
- Spinning on an axis; Earth's rotation causes day and night.
- Moon
- A natural satellite that orbits a planet; Earth has one, Jupiter and Saturn have dozens.
- Asteroid
- Rocky objects that orbit the Sun, mostly found between Mars and Jupiter.
- Comet
- An icy body from the outer solar system that develops a tail as it approaches the Sun.
- Dwarf planet
- A round body orbiting the Sun that hasn't cleared its orbital neighborhood — like Pluto.
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