earth in the universe Flashcards
Rotation
The spinning of Earth on its axis
Revolution
The movement of an object around another object
Orbit
The path of an object as it revolves around another object in space
Axis
An imaginary line that passes through Earth’s center and the North and South poles
equinox
Two times a year when the sun is directly above the equator and days and nights are of equal length
Solstice
Time when the Sun is farthest from the equator.
waxing
(of the moon) the period during which the visible surface of the moon increases
Waning
(of the moon) the period during which the visible surface of the moon decreases
New Moon
A moon that is completely dark because it’s unlit side is facing Earth
full moon
moon phase when the entire side facing Earth is illuminated.
Waxing Crescent
is a lit up crescent on the right
Wanning Gibbous
light on the left; more than half of the moon is visible from Earth
first quarter moon
The moon is a quarter of the way around the Earth. You can see the right half of the moon.
last quarter moon
The left half of the moon is illuminated.
Waxing Gibbous
Slightly dark on the left side, mostly lit on the right.
Waning Crescent
Mostly dark on the right side, slightly lit on the left.
eclipse
The partial or total blocking of one object in space by another
lunar eclipse
an eclipse in which the moon appears darkened as it passes into the earth’s shadow.
solar eclipse
Occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth and casts a shadow over part of Earth
Tides
the daily rise and fall of Earth’s waters on its coastlines
inner terresital planets
Small, rocky planets that orbit closest to the sun including Mercury, Venus, Earth, & Mars
outer planets
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, & Neptune. Called Gas Giants.
space probe
a spacecraft that gathers data without a crew
telescope
A device built to observe distant objects by making them appear closer
space station
a large artificial satellite on which people can live and work for long periods
neap tide
the tide with the least difference between consecutive low and high tides
spring tide
The tide with the greatest difference between consecutive low and high tides
space shuttle
a spacecraft that can carry a crew into space
rocket
a device that expels gas in one direction to move in the opposite direction
Gravity
A force of attraction between objects that is due to their masses.
Northern Hemisphere
the hemisphere north of the equator
Southern Hemisphere
the half of the Earth south of the equator
Mercury
first planet from the sun; One of the terrestrial planets; smallest of the 8 planets
Venus
second planet from the Sun; has a dense atmosphere with high temperatures, a surface with craters, fault like cracks, and volcanoes; sometimes called Earth’s twin
Earth
third planet from the sun; has an atmosphere that protects life and surface temperatures that allow water to exist as a solid, liquid, and gas
Mars
the fourth planet from the sun, one terrestrial planets, referred to as the “red planet”
Saturn
sixth planet from the sun, has rings, one of the gas giants
Jupitar
is the fifth planet from the sun and the largest planet, one of the gas giants
Uranus
seventh planet from the Sun; is large and gaseous, has a distinct bluish-green color
Neptune
the eighth planet from the Sun; one of the gas giants
Terrestrial Planets
The name given to the four inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars because they are made of rock.
Gas Giants
The name given to the first four outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune because they are made of gas.
