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Science Flash Cards > Science Vocab > Flashcards

Science Vocab Flashcards

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1
Q

Orbit

A

the circular or elliptical path of an object as it revolves around another object

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2
Q

Solar System

A

a system of objects that revolve around a sta

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3
Q

Galaxy

A

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

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4
Q

Universe

A

everything that exists in, on and around the Earth

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5
Q

Satellite

A

a natural or artificial object that revolves around another object in space

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6
Q

Impact Crater

A

a large, circular pit in the surface of a planet or other body in space usually formed when two bodies in space collide

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7
Q

Rotation

A

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

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8
Q

Revolution

A

the orbiting of an object around another object

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9
Q

Season

A

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

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10
Q

Equinox

A

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

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11
Q

Solstice

A

the twice-a-year occurrence during which the Sun appears at the highest point in the sky as seen from the North or South Pole

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12
Q

Mare

A

dark areas of the moon

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13
Q

Eclipse

A

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

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14
Q

Umbra

A

the dark central part of a sunspot

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15
Q

Penumbra

A

the shadow cast by the earth or moon over an area experiencing a partial eclipse

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16
Q

astronomical unit (AU)

A

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

17
Q

Ellipse

A

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.

18
Q

Terrestrial planet

A

any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in order of their proximity to the sun; viewed from the constellation Hercules, all the planets rotate around the sun in a counterclockwise direction

19
Q

Gas giant

A

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

20
Q

Asteroid

A

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

21
Q

Comet

A

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

22
Q

Meteor

A

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)

23
Q

Meteorite

A

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

24
Q

Geocentric

A

having the Earth as the center

25
Q

Heliocentric

A

having the sun as the center

26
Q

Gravity

A

a force that exists between any two objects that have mass

27
Q

Tide

A

the regular fluctuation of sea water driven by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun on Earth’s oceans and other large bodies of water

28
Q

Waxing

A

the moon at any time after new moon and before full moon, so called because its illuminated area is increasing

29
Q

Waning

A

the moon at any time after full moon and before new moon (so called because its illuminated area is decreasing)

30
Q

Gibbous Moon

A

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

31
Q

Crescent Moon

A

The Moon as it appears in its first or last quarter

32
Q

Full moon

A

the moon with its whole apparent disk illuminated

33
Q

New moon

A

The moon’s phase when it is in conjunction with the sun so that its dark side is toward the earth

34
Q

Quarter Moon

A

Either of the intermediate stages between the new and full moons. In spite of the name, half of the Moon’s visible portion is lit up during a quarter moon

35
Q

Perihelion

A

the point in the orbit of a solar system body when it is closest to the Sun

36
Q

Aphelion

A

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

Science Flash Cards (2 decks)

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