Space Vocabulary Flashcards
Orbit
the path of an object in space as it moves around another object due to gravity
Solar System
The Sun and it family of orbiting planets and moon and other objects.
Galaxy
Millions or billions of stars held together in a group by their own gravity.
Universe
Space and all the matter and energy in it
Satellite
An object that orbits a more massive object
Impact Crater
a round pit left behind on the surface of a planet or other body in space after a smaller object strikes the center
Axis of Rotation
An imaginary line about which turning body such as the earth rotates
Revolution
The motion of the body around another, such as the Earth in its orbit around the Sun
Season
One part of the pattern of Temperature changes and other weather trends over the course of a year
Equinox
In an orbit, a position and time in which sunlight shines equally on the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, a time of the year when daylight and darkness are nearly equal for most parts of the earth
Solstice
In an orbit, a position and time during which one hemisphere receives it minimum amount
Mare
A large dark plain of solidified lava on the moon
Eclipse
an event during which one object in space cast a shadow onto another
Umbra
the dark central region of a shadow, such as the cone of complete shadow cast by an object
Penumbra
A region of lighter shadow that may surround a dark central region. The spreading cone of lighter shadow cast by an object
