Space

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

all existing matter and space considered as a whole

Question 4

Satellite

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Impact crater

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Rotation

Answer 6

the action of rotating around an axis or center

Question 7

Season

Answer 7

each of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) marked by particular weather patterns and daylight hours, resulting from the earth’s changing position with regard to the sun

Question 8

Equinox

Answer 8

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 9

Solstice

Answer 9

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 10

Mare

Answer 10

The lunar maria are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth’s Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions

Question 11

Eclipse

Answer 11

the total or partial obscuring of one celestial body by another

Question 12

Umbra

Answer 12

The umbra is the innermost and darkest part of a shadow, where the light source is completely blocked by the occluding body

Question 13

Penumbra

Answer 13

During a partial lunar eclipse, a portion of the Moon’s disk remains within the penumbra of Earth’s shadow while the rest is darkened by the umbra.

Question 14

Astronomical unit

Answer 14

a unit of measurement equal to 149.6 million kilometers, the mean distance from the center of the earth to the center of the sun

Question 15

Terrestrial planet

Answer 15

A terrestrial planet, telluric planet, or rocky planet is a planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals

Question 16

Gas giant

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Ellipsis

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 which does not intersect the base.

Question 18

Asteroid

Answer 18

a small rocky body orbiting the sun

Question 19

Comet

Answer 19

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 20

Meteor

Answer 20

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 21

Meteorite

Answer 21

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 22

Geocentric

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Heliocentric

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Gravity

Answer 24

the force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass

Question 25

Tide

Answer 25

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 26

Waxing

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Wanning

Answer 27

the moon at any time after full moon and before new moon

Question 28

Gibbous moon

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Crescent moon

Answer 29

The Waxing Crescent phase begins the part of the lunar cycle when the Moon is visible at night

Question 30

Full moon

Answer 30

The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth’s perspective.

Question 31

New moon

Answer 31

In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude

Question 32

Quarter moon

Answer 32

half of the Moon’s visible portion is lit up during a quarter moon.

Question 33

Perihelion

Answer 33

The word “perihelion” stems from the Ancient Greek words “peri”, meaning “near”, and “helios”, meaning “the Sun

Question 34

Aphelion

Answer 34

Aphelion” derives from the preposition “apo”, meaning “away, off, apart