Science V

Question 1

Orbit

Answer 1

the curved path of a celestial object or spacecraft around a star, planet, or moon, especially a periodic elliptical revolution

Question 2

Solar system

Answer 2

the collection of eight planets and their moons in orbit around the sun, together with smaller bodies in the form of asteroids, meteoroids, and comets.

Question 3

Galaxy

Answer 3

a system of millions or billions of stars, together with gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction.

Question 4

Universe

Answer 4

all existing matter and space considered as a whole; the cosmos. The universe is believed to be at least 10 billion light years in diameter and contains a vast number of galaxies; it has been expanding since its creation in the Big Bang about 13 billion years ago.

Question 5

Satellite

Answer 5

an artificial body placed in orbit around the earth or moon or another planet in order to collect information or for communication.

Question 6

Impact Crater

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Axis of Rotation

Answer 7

A rotation is a circular movement of an object around a center (or point) of rotation . A three-dimensional object always rotates around an imaginary line called a rotation axis. If the axis passes through the body’s center of mass, the body is said to rotate upon itself, or spin.

Question 8

Revolution

Answer 8

The definition of a revolution is the movement of one object around a center or another object, a forceful overthrow of a government by the people or any sudden or grand change. An example of revolution is movement of the earth around the sun

Question 9

Season

Answer 9

a. One of the four natural divisions of the year, spring, summer, fall, and winter, in the North and South Temperate zones. Each season, beginning astronomically at an equinox or solstice, is characterized by specific meteorological or climatic conditions

Question 10

Equinox

Answer 10

the time or date (twice each year) at which the sun crosses the celestial equator, when day and night are of equal length (about September 22 and March 20

Question 11

Solstice

Answer 11

either of the two times in the year, the summer solstice and the winter solstice, when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at noon, marked by the longest and shortest days

Question 12

Mare

Answer 12

the female of a horse or other equine animal.

Question 13

Eclipse

Answer 13

an obscuring of the light from one celestial body by the passage of another between it and the observer or between it and its source of illumination

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

Answer 16

relating to astronomy.

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 that does not intersect the base.

Question 18

Terrestrial Planet

Answer 18

A terrestrial planet, telluric planet, or rocky planet is a planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals. Within the Solar System, the terrestrial planets are the inner planets closest to the Sun, i.e. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

Question 19

Gas Giant

Answer 19

a large planet of relatively low density consisting predominantly of hydrogen and helium, such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune.

Question 20

Asteroid

Answer 20

a small rocky body orbiting the sun. Large numbers of these, ranging in size from nearly 600 miles (1,000 km) across (Ceres) to dust particles, are found (as the asteroid belt ) especially between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, though some have more eccentric orbits, and a few pass close to the earth or enter the atmosphere as meteors

Question 21

Comet

Answer 21

a celestial object consisting of a nucleus of ice and dust and, when near the sun, a “tail” of gas and dust particles pointing away from the sun.

Question 22

Meteor

Answer 22

a small body of matter from outer space that enters the earth’s atmosphere, becoming incandescent as a result of friction and appearing as a streak of light.

Question 23

Meteorite

Answer 23

a meteor that survives its passage through the earth’s atmosphere such that part of it strikes the ground. More than 90 percent of meteorites are of rock, while the remainder consist wholly or partly of iron and nickel.

Question 24

Geocentric

Answer 24

having or representing the earth as the center, as in former astronomical systems

Question 25

Heliocentric

Answer 25

having or representing the sun as the center, as in the accepted astronomical model of the solar system.

Question 26

Gravity

Answer 26

the force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass. For most purposes Newton’s laws of gravity apply, with minor modifications to take the general theory of relativity into account.

Question 27

Tide

Answer 27

the alternate rising and falling of the sea, usually twice in each lunar day at a particular place, due to the attraction of the moon and sun.

Question 28

Waxing

Answer 28

Waxing Crescent. The moon is less than one-half illuminated by the sun but less than one quarter illuminated. Occurs when the moon’s illumination is increasing, First Quarter. The moon is one-half illuminated by the sun.

Question 29

Waning

Answer 29

The word crescent refers to the phases where the moon is less than half illuminated. The word gibbous refers to phases where the moon is more than half illuminated. Waxing essentially means “growing” or expanding in illumination, and waning means “shrinking” or decreasing in illumination

Question 30

Gibbous Moon

Answer 30

It’s easy to see a waxing gibbous moon in the daytime because, at this phase of the moon, a large fraction of the moon’s day side is facing our way. … Any moon that appears more than half lighted but less than full is called a gibbous moon. The word gibbous comes from a root word that means hump-backed.

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. Crescent was first used to describe the shape of the waxing, or growing moon, and if you listen closely you can hear its similarity to increase

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

Third Quarter. The moon is one-half illuminated by the sun. Occurs when the moon’s illumination is decreasing, Waning Crescent. The moon is less than one-half illuminated by the sun but less than one quarter illuminated