Chapter 3 Our Solar System Vocabulary Review

the process of molten material moving from a planet’s hot interior to its surface volcanism

a small, solid, rocky body that orbits close to the Sun asteroid

the process of change in a crust due to hot material underneath tectonics

a small, icy body in the outer solar system, which can or does produce a coma of gas and dust comet

a planet that has a rocky surface terrestrial planet

a brief streak of light produced by a small particle entering Earth’s atmosphere at a high speed meteor

an oval or flattened circle ellipse

a large planet that consists mostly of gases in dense form gas giant

a wide, flat zone of particles that orbit around a planet’s equator ring

Earth’s average distance from the Sun, which is approximately 150 million kilometers (93 million miles) astronomical unit

a small object from outer space that passes through Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the surface meteorite