[CAS AS 101] - Final Exam Guide - Ultimate 47 pages long Study Guide!
29 Nov 2016
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Our sun is a star. star- a large, glowing ball of gas that generates heat and light through nuclear fusion. planet- a moderately large object that orbits a star and shines primarily by reflecting light from its star. An object that meets the first two criteria but has not cleared its orbital path, like pluto, is designated a dwarf planet. moon (or satellite)- an object that orbits a planet. Collections of astronomical objects: solar system- the sun and all the material that orbits it, including planets, dwarf planets, and small solar system bodies. The observable universe is probably only a tiny portion of the entire universe. Astronomical distance units astronomical unit (au)- the average distance between earth and the sun, which is about 150 million kilometers. More technically, 1 au is the length of the semimajor axis of. Earth"s orbit light-year- the distance that light can travel in 1 year, which is about 9. 46 trillion kilometers (about 6 trillion miles)
