Planet Vocab Flashcards
Space and all the matter and energy in it
Universe
A small object from outer space that passes through earths atmosphere and reaches the surface
Meteorite
Half of the moon is illuminated
Quarter moon
The entire surface of the moon is not illuminated
New moon
Average distance from the sun which is 93,000,000 miles
Astronomical units
The motion of one body around another such as the Earth in its orbit around the sun
Revolution
The illuminated surface is less than a quarter illuminated
Crescent moon
A region of lighter shadow that may surround a central
Penumbra
A large dark plain of solidified lava on the moon
Mare
Millions and billions of stars held together in a group by their own gravity
Galaxy
A body that produces a coma of gas and dust, a small icy body that orbits the Sun
Comet
An event during which one object in space casts a shadow onto another
Eclipse
More than half but less than fully illuminated
Gibbous moon
The path of an object in space as it moves around another object due to gravity
Orbit
A sun centered theory of the universe
Heliocentric theory
The rise and fall of the oceans caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun
Tide
The gradual decrease in the illuminated surface of the moon
Waning
Earth centered theory of the solar system
Geocentric theory
An oval or flattened circle
Ellipse
One of a pattern of temperature changes and other weather trends over the course of the year
Season
The force that objects exert on one another because of their mass
Gravity
A round pit left behind on the surface of a planet after a small object strikes the surface
Impact crater
The sun and its family of orbiting planets and moons and other objects
Solar system
A large planet that consists mostly of gases in a dense form
Gas giant
In an orbit, a position and time in which sun shines equally on both hemispheres
Equinox
A small solid rocky body that orbits the sun
Asteroid
A region of lighter shadow that may surround a dark central region
Penumbra
In an orbit, a position and time during which one hemisphere receives the maximum sunlight
Solstice
An object that orbits a more massive object
Satellite
The gradual increase of the illuminated surface of the moon
Waxing
Half of the moon is illuminated
Crescent moon
A brief streak of light produced by a particle entering Earths atmosphere at high speed
Meteor
A planet that has a rocky surface
Terrestrial planet
An imaginary line about which a turning body such as Earths rotates
Axis of Rotation
A brief streak of light produced by a particle entering Earths atmosphere at high speed
Meteor
A planet that has a rocky surface
Terrestrial planet
An imaginary line about which a turning body such as Earths rotates
Axis of Rotation
