Astronomy Flashcards
planet
a body in space that orbits a star
moon
natural object that revolves around a planet
asteroid
smaller mass of rock in space
asteroid belt
found between Mars and Jupiter
comet
object in space made of ice and dust that orbits a star
meteorite
a space rock that lands on earth
meteor
a space rock that burns up in earth’s atmosphere
Kuiper Belt
found in the region near Pluto, full of asteroids and comets
Mercury
planet closest to the sun
Venus
2nd planet from the sun, hottest planet because of extreme greenhouse effect
Earth
3rd plant from sun, has one moon and water in solid, liquid, and gaseous states
Mars
4th planet from the sun
Jupiter
5th planet from the sun, largest planet with large red spot
Saturn
6th planet from the sun, rings
Uranus
7th planet from the sun, rotates on its side
Neptune
8th planet from the sun, blue color due to methane gas
Pluto
dwarf planet
inner planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars - small, rocky planets, orbit close to the sun
outer planets
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune - gas giants, orbit farther from sun, have moons and rings
rotation
spinning on axis = one day
revolution
how long it takes a planet to orbit the sun = one year
absolute magnitude
the brightness of a star
parallax
the apparent shift of stars in position because the observer moves
HR Diagram
a graph that shows the relationship between the brightness and temperature of stars
galaxy
large collection of stars
light year
the distance light travels in a year
star
a large body in space that is made of gas and gives off light
red shift
evidence that galaxies are moving away from each other and the universe is expanding
Main sequence star
a star during the main part of its life cycle where it is using hydrogen as fuel
Black hole
forms when a massive star collapses, so dense that light can’t escape it
nebula
cloud of dust and gas where a star forms
red giant
a star that has expanded and cooled and is using helium as fuel
fusion
what is happening in stars to make energy - when two atoms join together
supernova
an explosion when the core of a supergiant collapses
white dwarf
a star that has collapsed and becomes much hotter and denser
neutron star
the core of a supergiant that has collapsed but can be seen
Sputnik
first artificial satellite launched into space
Alan Shepard
first American in space
Apollo 11
first landing on the moon
Hubble Space Telescope
a space telescope used to study space elements
International Space Station
an orbiting space satellite used for scientific and space research
equinox
period of equal day and night
solstice
when the sun reaches its greatest distance north or south of the equator, the beginning of winter and summer
seasons
caused by the tile of the Earth
solar eclipse
when the moon passes directly between the sun and earth and casts and shadow over part of earth
lunar eclipse
when earth passes between the sun and the moon and the earth’s shadow falls on the moon
tides
the rise and fall of the ocean caused by the moon’s gravity
neap tide
happens during first and third quarter moons when the difference between high and low tides is small
spring tide
happens during the full and new moons when tides are very high and very low
