Correct Answer:
C. Moon
The correct answer is Moon because a moon is a natural satellite locked by gravity into a consistent orbit around a larger planetary body .
- Step 1 (Fact Check): Your original prompt marked Asteroids as the correct answer . This is a common error found in older past papers . In astronomy, asteroids orbit the Sun directly (mainly in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter) . Any celestial body trapped in orbit around a planet is structurally defined as a natural satellite, commonly referred to as a moon . The answer choice has been updated to reflect correct space science .
- Incorrect Options:
- Comet is incorrect because comets are icy bodies of cosmic dust and rock that move in highly elliptical paths directly around the Sun, not planets .
- Meteor is incorrect because a meteor is space debris burning up inside a planet's atmospheric layer, creating a brief streak of light .
- Asteroid is incorrect because asteroids are rocky remnants orbiting the central star of our solar system rather than executing orbits around individual planets .
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