Astronomy Flashcards
define asteroids
small celestial objects in the solar system composed of rock and metal that orbits the sun
define comets
large chunks of ice, dust and rock that orbit the sun
define meteoroids
piece of metal or rock in the solar system that is smaller than an asteroid
define meteors
meteors are streaks of light/space rocks that crash through earth’s atmosphere
define meteorites
a meteor that survives its passage through the earth’s atmosphere
define planets and dwarf planets
planets dominate there orbit where as dwarf planets do not
what’s the difference between terrestrial planets and gas giant planets
terrestrial are closer to the sun and made up of a rocky shape where as gas giants are furthest from the sun and are made up of gasses and liquids
describe the organization of our solar system. what does heliocentric mean?
our solar system has 7 planets that revolve around our sun. heliocentric describes how the sun stays stationary while the planets revolve around it
Define and provide examples of satellites
A satellite is a body (either natural or man made) that orbits around another body in space. for example the moon is a satellite
What is earth’s orbit?
The path an object follows as it moves around another object
What is Earth’s orbital period?
One complete orbit is 365.256 days
What is Earth’s rotation?
Rotation of planet earth around it’s own axis
What is Earth’s revolution?
The revolving of the earth around the sun, producing the number of days in the year
How many phases of the moon are there
There are 8
What are the phases of the moon (in order)
- New moon
- Waxing crescent
- first quarter
- waxing gibbous
- full moon
- waning gobbous
- Third quarter
- waning crescent