Astronomy Vocab Flashcards
Equator
0 degrees latitude; an imaginary circle around the middle of the Earth, halfway between the north and south poles
Prime Meridian
the reference point for longitude, 0 degrees
Eliptic
plane that contains Earth’s orbit around the Sun
Synchronous Rotation
describes the state at which the Moon’s orbital and rotational periods are equal
Precession
wobble in Earth’s rotational axis
Photosynthesis
plants that use the Sun’s energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars
Magnetic Field
the area of magnetic force around the Earth, protects us from solar radiation
Nutation
wobbling around the precessional axis, but without any change in the tilt. This changes the stars near the poles
Barycenter
the point between two objects where they balance each other
Kepler’s First Law
planets travel in ellipses, not circles
Kepler’s Second Law
an object speeds up the closer it gets to the object it’s orbiting
Ellipse
an elongated circle or oval shape, the shape of the planets orbit
Orbit
the path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another
Rotation
circular movement around an axis
Revolution
the movement of one object around another
Seasons
caused by tilt of Earth on its axis as it revolves around the sun
Circumference
the distance around a circle
Axis
an imaginary line that passes through Earth’s center and the north and south poles, about which Earth rotates
Tilt
23.5 degrees, causes seasons
Vernal Equinox
March 21st, beginning of spring
Autumnal Equinox
first day of fall; equal day and night hours, usually around September 22
Solstice
either of the 2 times of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator (winter and summer)
Spring Tide
when the tidal range is greatest (full moon and new moon)
Neap Tide
the tide with the least difference between consecutive low and high tides
Tidal Range
the difference in levels of ocean water at high tide and low tide
Satellite
a space station that orbits the Earth receiving and transmitting signals from Earth-based stations over a large area
Lunar Eclipse
an eclipse where the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon when its at a full moon
Solar Eclipse
the blocking of sunlight to Earth that occurs when the Moon is directly between the Sun and Earth
