Chapter 2 Vocab

Question 1

Orbit

Answer 1

The circular or elliptical path of and object as it revolves around another object.

Question 2

Solar system

Answer 2

A system of objects that revolve around a star.

Question 3

Galaxy

Answer 3

A group of solar systems, dust, and gas held together by gravity ;our solar system is a part of the Milky Way galaxy.

Question 4

Universe

Answer 4

Everything that exists in, on and around the earth.

Question 5

Satellite

Answer 5

A natural or artificial object that revolves around another object in space.

Question 6

Impact Crater

Answer 6

A crater on the planet or moon caused by the impact of a meteorite or other object, typically circular with a raised rim.

Question 7

Rotation

Answer 7

The spinning of a celestial body, such as a planet, around an axis.

Question 8

Revolution

Answer 8

The orbiting of an object around another object.

Question 9

Season

Answer 9

A period of the year determined by the position of Earth as it revolves around the sun.

Question 10

Equinox

Answer 10

A Twice-a-year occurrence during which Earth’s axis is perpendicular (at a 90 angle) to a line joining the Sun and the Earth’s center.

Question 11

Solstice

Answer 11

A Twice-a-year occurrence during which the Sun appears at the highest point in the sky as seen from the North to South Pole.

Question 12

Mare

Answer 12

The lunar Maria are large dark, basaltic plains on Earth’s Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. They were dubbed Maria Latin for “ seas”,by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas.

Question 13

Eclipse

Answer 13

an event whereby one astronomical body passes between two other astronomical bodies

Question 14

Umbra

Answer 14

the fully shaded inner region of a shadow cast by an opaque object, especially the area on the earth or moon experiencing the total phase of an eclipse.

Question 15

Penumbra

Answer 15

the partially shaded outer region of the shadow cast by an opaque object.

Question 16

Astronomical Unit (AU)

Answer 16

the mean distance from the center of the Earth to the center of the sun (about 149.6 million kilometers); used to measure distances in the solar system

Question 17

Ellipse

Answer 17

a regular oval shape, traced by a point moving in a plane so that the sum of its distances from two other points (the foci) is constant, or resulting when a cone is cut by an oblique plane which does not intersect the base.

Question 18

Terrestrial Planet

Answer 18

are the inner planets closest to the Sun, (Mercury, Venus,Earth, and Mars).

Question 19

Gas Giant

Answer 19

A large, massive, low-density planet composed primarily of hydrogen, helium, methane, and ammonia in either gaseous or liquid state.

Question 20

Asteroid

Answer 20

a small object made of rock or metal that orbits the sun

Question 21

Comet

Answer 21

a body of ice and dust that travels in a long narrow orbit around the sun

Question 22

Meteor

Answer 22

a streak of light in the sky that forms when a piece of rock from space burns up in Earth’s atmosphere (related term: shooting star)

Question 23

Meteorite

Answer 23

a piece of rock or metal from space that strikes Earth’s surface

Question 24

Geocentric

Answer 24

having the Earth as the center

Question 25

Heliocentric

Answer 25

having the sun as the center

Question 26

Gravity

Answer 26

a force that exists between any two objects that have mass (related word: gravitational)

Question 27

tides

Answer 27

the rise and fall of the ocean’s surface levels due to the gravitational pull of the sun and moon (related word: tidal)

Question 28

Waxing

Answer 28

a sound recording

Question 29

Wannig

Answer 29

a shelter (as for sleeping, eating, or storage) often mounted on wheels or tracks and towed by tractor or mounted on a raft or boat.

Question 30

Gibbous Moon

Answer 30

The definition of gibbous refers to a moon in between a half-moon but less than a full moon, or something that protrudes or creates an obvious bulge.

Question 31

Crescent Moon

Answer 31

A crescent is a thin, curved shape that’s thicker in the middle and tapers to thin points at each end, like the little sliver of moon you might notice in the sky.

Question 32

Full Moon

Answer 32

the phase of the moon in which its whole disk is illuminated.

Question 33

New Moon

Answer 33

the phase of the moon when it is in conjunction with the sun and invisible from earth, or shortly thereafter when it appears as a slender crescent.

Question 34

Quarter Moon

Answer 34

A quarter moon occurs when we see the Moon half illuminated by the Sun, and half enshrouded in darkness.

Question 35

Perihelion

Answer 35

the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is closest to the sun.

Question 36

Aphelion

Answer 36

the point in the orbit of a planet or other orbiting body where it is farthest from the Sun or the body around which it revolves