Astronomy Flashcards
When Earth is positioned precisely between the Moon and Sun, Earth’s shadow falls upon the surface of the Moon, dimming it.
Lunar Eclipse
What are the three types of lunar eclipse?
Total Lunar Eclipse - The Moon moves into the inner part of Earth’s shadow, or the umbra.
Partial Lunar Eclipse - An imperfect alignment of Sun, Earth and Moon results in the Moon passing through only part of Earth’s umbra.
Penumbral Eclipse - The Moon travels through Earth’s penumbra, or the faint outer part of its shadow.
When the Moon is between Earth and the Sun. The Moon casts a shadow on Earth, and blocks or partially blocks our view of the Sun.
Solar Eclipse
A moon phase where we cannot see the moon (🌑)
New Moon
We see the moon as a thin crescent of light on the right (🌒)
Waxing Crescent
We see the moon half lit on the right (🌓)
First Quarter
Now most of the Moon’s dayside has come into view, and the Moon appears brighter in the sky. (🌔)
Waxing Gibbous
The Sun’s illumination of the entire day side of the Moon (🌕)
Full Moon
The lighted side appears to shrink, but the Moon’s orbit is simply carrying it out of view from our perspective. (🌖)
Waning Gibbous
You’re seeing half of the half of the Moon that’s illuminated by the Sun ― or a quarter. (🌗)
Last Quarter
The Moon is nearly back to the point in its orbit where its dayside directly faces the Sun, and all that we see from our perspective is a thin curve. (🌘)
Waning Crescent
Sometimes called minor planets, are rocky, airless remnants left over from the early formation of our solar system about 4.6 billion years ago.
Asteroids
Cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock, and dust that orbit the Sun. When brings close to the Sun, it heats up and spews dust and gases into a giant glowing head larger than most planets.
Comets
What’s the difference between a meteoroid, a meteor, and a meteorite?
Meteoroids: These rocks still are in space. Meteoroids range in size from dust grains to small asteroids. (smaller than asteroids)
Meteors: When meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere (or that of another planet, like Mars) at high speed and burn up, the fireballs or “shooting stars” are called meteors.
Meteorites: When a meteoroid survives a trip through the atmosphere and hits the ground, it’s called a meteorite.
Is the amount of time for an Earth to turn around once on its axis.
Rotation
Describes the path of Earth through space. Amount of time for an Earth to turn around once on the Sun.
Revolution
Where did our Sun started?
Milky Way’s Orion Star Cluster. Only 15% of the stars in the galaxy host planetary systems.
What are Terrestrial Planets?
Planets closest to the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
- Primarily made of rocky material
- Solid Surface
- no ring systems
- relatively small
What is the Asteroid?
Flat disk of rocky objects, full of remnants from the okar systems formation
What are the Jovian Planets?
Planets of the Outer Solar System: Jupiter, Saturn (Gas Giants) Uranus, Neptune (Ice Giants)
- Have Ring systems
- no solid surface
- large sizes
- contain multiple moons
What is the Kuiper Belt?
In the region beyond the orbit of Neptune. Contain many comets, asteroids, and other small bodies made largely of ice.
What is the Oort Cloud?
Extended shell of icy objects that exist in the outermost reaches of the Solar System.
Draw the Life Cycle of a Star
A region in space where the force of gravity is so strong, not even light can escape
Black Hole
What is the Big Bang Theory?
- The universe began as an infinitely dense point and expanded 13.7 Billion years ago.
- by Fred Hoyle
