Solar System Vocabulary Flashcards
is a distinct body of interstellar clouds
Nebula
gaseous cloud from which, in the so-called nebular hypothesis of the origin of the solar system, the Sun and planets formed by condensation
Solar Nebula
is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei are combined to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles
Nuclear Fusion
are temporary phenomena on the Sun’s photosphere that appear as spots darker than the surrounding areas.
Sunspot
telluric planet, or rocky planet is a planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals.
Terrestrial Planets
in astronomy is, in general, orbital or rotational motion of an object in the direction opposite the rotation of its primary, that is, the central object
Prograde Rotation
in astronomy is, in general, orbital or rotational motion of an object in the direction opposite the rotation of its primary, that is, the central object.
Retrograde Rotation
is a giant planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Gas giants are also called failed stars because they contain the same basic elements as a star.
Gas Giant
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object that has been intentionally placed into orbit.
Satellite
is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude.
New Moon
moon shines in the west after sunset. It quickly follows the sun below the western horizon.
Waxing Crescent
he moon is 90 degrees away from the sun in the sky and is half-illuminated from our point of view.
1st Quarter Moon
is an intermediate phase of the Moon that starts right after the First Quarter when the illumination is 50%.
Waxing Gibbous
is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth’s perspective. This occurs when Earth is located between the Sun and the Moon.
Full Moon
an intermediary Moon phase. It starts right after the Full Moon, and it lasts until the Third Quarter.
Waning Gibbous
appears half-lit by sunshine and half-immersed in its own shadow.
Last Quarter Moon
phase occurs when the illumination of the Moon decreases from 49.9% to 0.1%. It is an intermediary phase between the Third Quarter and the New Moon (when the Moon is almost invisible).
Waning Crescent
occurs when a portion of the Earth is engulfed in a shadow cast by the Moon which fully or partially blocks sunlight.
Solar Eclipse
occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are exactly or very closely aligned with Earth between the other two, and only on the night of a full moon.
Lunar Eclipse
is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing.
Comet
is a minor planet of the inner Solar System.
Asteroid
is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, located roughly between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies, of many sizes but much smaller than planets, called asteroids or minor planets.
Asteroid Belt
is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. Meteoroids are significantly smaller than astroids, and range in size from small grains to one-meter-wide objects.
Meteoroid
is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon
Meteorite
is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. Meteoroids are significantly smaller than asteroids, and range in size from small grains to one-meter-wide objects.
Meteor
