Dwarf Planets and Other Bodies

Tap or click on cards to flip them and reveal the answers. You can use arrow keys as well.

  • Loading folders...
1/15 cards
What are the criteria for dwarf planet classification?
Click to flip
Dwarf planets orbit the Sun, have sufficient mass for a nearly round shape, but have not cleared other debris in their orbit.
Click to flip
Name a famous dwarf planet in our Solar System.
Click to flip
Pluto is a famous dwarf planet.
Click to flip
What is the largest dwarf planet in the Solar System?
Click to flip
Eris is the largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System.
Click to flip
What region of space are most dwarf planets found?
Click to flip
Most dwarf planets are found in the Kuiper Belt.
Click to flip
Name another body similar to a planet in the Solar System.
Click to flip
Ceres, located in the asteroid belt, is also considered a dwarf planet.
Click to flip
What is the Kuiper Belt?
Click to flip
The Kuiper Belt is a region beyond Neptune that contains many small icy bodies.
Click to flip
What is an asteroid belt?
Click to flip
The asteroid belt is a region of space located between Mars and Jupiter filled with rocky bodies.
Click to flip
What are asteroids primarily composed of?
Click to flip
Asteroids are primarily composed of rock and metal.
Click to flip
Define a comet.
Click to flip
A comet is a small solar system body that, when passing close to the Sun, heats up and displays a visible coma or tail.
Click to flip
What is notable about the orbit of comets?
Click to flip
Comets often have highly elliptical orbits, which bring them close to the Sun and then far into the outer Solar System.
Click to flip
What is the difference between meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites?
Click to flip
Meteoroids are space debris, meteors are meteoroids that enter Earth's atmosphere, and meteorites are meteors that reach Earth's surface.
Click to flip
What is the Oort Cloud?
Click to flip
The Oort Cloud is a hypothesized shell of icy objects that is believed to exist at the edge of the Solar System.
Click to flip
What causes a comet's tail to form and extend?
Click to flip
A comet's tail forms and extends away from the Sun due to solar radiation heating its icy nucleus.
Click to flip
What defines a planet as opposed to a dwarf planet?
Click to flip
A planet has cleared its orbit of other debris, unlike a dwarf planet.
Click to flip
Which dwarf planet was the first to be visited by a spacecraft?
Click to flip
Pluto was the first dwarf planet visited by the New Horizons spacecraft in 2015.
Click to flip

Need More Study Materials?

Go back to the chat to generate additional resources.

Create More Resources