Science Flashcards
Solar system
The sun and its family of orbiting planets moons and other objects
Galaxy
Millions or billions of stars held together in a group by their own gravity.
Universe
Space and all the matter and energy in it.
Satellite
An object that orbits a more massive object
Impact crater
A round pit left behind on the surface of a planet or other body in space after a smaller object strikes the surface.
Axis of rotation
An imaginary line about which a turning body such as earth rotations
Revolution
The motion of one body around another such as earth in its orbit around the sun
Season
One part of a pattern of one temperature changes and another whether trends over the course of a year
Equinox
In an orbit a position and time in which sunlight shines equally on the northern hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere
Solstice
In an orbit a position and time during which one hemisphere gets its maximum area of sunlight
Mare
A large dark plain of solidified lava on the moon
Eclipse
An oval or flattened surface.
Umbra
The dark central region of a shadow such as the cone of complete shadow cast by an object
Penumbra
A region of lighter shadow that may surround an umbra
Astronomical unit UA
Earths average distance from the sun which is approximately 150 million kilometers
Ellipse
An event during which one object in space cast a shadow onto another
Terrestrial planet
Earth or planet similar to earth that has a rocky surface
Gas giant
A large planet that consist mostly of gases in a dense form
Asteroid
A small solid rock body that orbits the sun
Comet
A body that produces a coma of gas and dust
Meteor
A brief streak of light produced by a small partial entering earths atmosphere
Orbit
Path of an object in space as it moves around another object due to gravity.
