Astronomy Test Flashcards
Lander
a spacecraft designed to land on a planet’s surface.
Orbiters
second stage of space exploration; spacecraft orbits a planet over a long period of time to study it.
Flybys
the first stage of exploration; a spacecraft that passes by a planet or other body without orbiting it.
Probe
probe a spacecraft that drops into a planet’s atmosphere and records data.
Space station
A satellite which people can live in and work for long periods.
Satellite
An object that orbits a more massive object.
Telescope
A device that gathers electromagnetic radiation.
Wavelength
the distance between one wave peak and the next wave peak
Spectrum
a beam of white light will separate into a ranged of colors.
Electromagnetic radiation
energy that travels across distances as waves; includes visible light.
constellation
a group of stars that form a pattern in the sk
Milky Way
The name of our galaxy.
Universe
Everything-space and all the energy in it.
Galaxy
A group of millions and billions of stars held together by their own gravity.
Solar system
The Sun, major planets, and various smaller bodies make this up.
