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Alpha Centauri a double star in the constellation Centaurus, the closest star to the solar system, having a combined magnitude of -0.3.
chondrite a stony meteorite that contains chondrules, formed from materials present in the early solar system .
cosmic ray high energy radiation, consisting primarily of high-energy protons and alpha particles, that primarily originates from outside the solar system. Upon collision with earth's atmosphere, secondary particles can be produced that sometimes reach the earth's surface.
earth (often cap.) the fifth largest planet in the solar system, which is third in order from the sun and has a diameter of about 7,930 miles. [1/4 definitions]
Enceladus one of several moons of the planet Saturn, having more reflective brightness than any other body in the solar system.
geocentric designating the earth as the center, as of the universe or solar system. [1/2 definitions]
Jupiter the largest planet in the solar system and fifth from the sun, having sixteen satellites and a diameter of about 88,700 miles. [1/2 definitions]
Mars the seventh largest planet in the solar system and fourth from the sun, having two satellites, a diameter of about 4,200 miles, and a ruddy surface that is apparent to the naked eye; the Red Planet. [1/2 definitions]
mercury (cap.) the eighth largest planet of the solar system and the nearest to the sun, having no satellites and a diameter of about 3,000 miles. [1/5 definitions]
Milky Way the galaxy that contains the earth, the sun, and the solar system, and that is visible in the night sky as a long ribbon of cloudlike clusters of stars from one horizon to the other.
nebular hypothesis a theory stating that the solar system was once a nebula that cooled and condensed to form the sun and planets.
Neptune the fourth largest planet in the solar system and eighth from the sun, having thirteen satellites and a diameter of about 31,350 miles. [1/2 definitions]
orrery a model of bodies in the solar system that can show their relative positions and motions by means of simple mechanical adjustments.
planet a large, nonluminous celestial body, esp. one of the nine in the solar system, that revolves around a star and often has one or more satellites. [1/2 definitions]
planetarium a structure, such as a mechanical model, that represents the position or motion of objects in the solar system. [1/3 definitions]
Pluto a dwarf planet in the Earth's solar system with a highly elliptical orbit and a diameter of 2,370 kilometers, or approximately 1,475 miles. Pluto was formerly considered a planet in the solar system, the smallest and farthest from the sun, but it was reclassified in 2006 as a dwarf. However, the debate about the classification continues in the scientific community. [1/2 definitions]
Rutherford atom the atom regarded as visually analogous to the solar system, with electrons revolving around a nucleus.
Saturn the second largest planet in the solar system and sixth from the sun, having many satellites, a diameter of about 74,500 miles, and a system of icy rings around its equator. [1/2 definitions]
space the area of the universe lying outside the earth's atmosphere and containing the stars, galaxies, and solar systems; outer space. [1/12 definitions]
sun (often cap.) the central star of the solar system around which the earth and other planets revolve and from which heat and light issue. [1/8 definitions]
Uranus the third largest planet in the solar system and seventh from the sun, having twenty-seven satellites and a diameter of about 31,500 miles. [1/2 definitions]