Space Flashcards
Orbit
The circular or elliptical path of an object as it revolves around another object
Solar system
A system of objects that revolve around a star
Galaxy
A group of solar systems,dust, and gas held together by gravity; our solar system is part of the Milky Way galaxy
Universe
Everything that exists in, on and around the earth
Satellite
A natural or artificial object that revolves around another object in space
Impact crater
Approximately circular depression in the surface of a planet,moon, or other solid body in the solar system or elsewhere, formed by the hyper velocity impact of a smaller body
Rotation
The spinning of a celestial body, such as a planet, around an axis
Revolution
The orbiting of an object around a object
Season
A period of the year determined by the position of earth as it revolves around the sun
Equinox
The twice a year occurrence during which earth axis perpendicular (at a 90 angle) to a line joining the sun and earths center
Solstice
The twice a year occurrence during which the sun appears at the highest point in the sky as seen in north or South Pole
Mare
The lunar maria /ˈmɑːriə/ (singular: mare /ˈmɑːreɪ/) are large, dark, basaltic plains on Earth’s Moon, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. They were dubbed maria, Latin for “seas”, by early astronomers who mistook them for actual seas.
Eclipse
an event whereby one astronomical body passes between two other astronomical bodies
Umbra
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.
Penumbra
The penumbra is the lighter outer part of a shadow. The Moon’s penumbra causes partial solar eclipses, and the Earth’s penumbra is involved in penumbral lunar eclipses. The penumbra is a lighter type of shadow. … Each shadow has 3 different areas: the umbra, the penumbra, and the antumbra.
Astronomical unit (AU)
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
Ellipse
ellipse. An ellipse is a closed-plane curve that results from the intersection of a plane cutting through a cone. In other words, it’s an oval. … If one thing travels around another in the shape of an ellipse — like the earth around the sun — it has an elliptical orbit.
Terrestrial planet
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.
Gas giant
gas giant. A large, massive, low-density planet composed primarily of hydrogen, helium, methane, and ammonia in either gaseous or liquid state. Gas giants have swirling atmospheres primarily of hydrogen and helium, with no well-defined planetary surface; they are assumed to have rocky cores.
Asteroid
a small object made of rock or metal that orbits the sun
Comet
a body of ice and dust that travels in a long, narrow orbit around the Sun
Meteor
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)
Meteorite
a piece of rock or metal from space that strikes Earth’s surface
Geocentric
having the Earth as the center
