Space Vocabulary Flashcards
Universe
Space and all the matter and energy in it.
Meteorite
A small object from outer space that passes through Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the surface.
Quarter Moon
Half of the moon is illuminated.
New moon
The entire surface of the moon is not illuminated.
Astronautical Units
Average distance from the sun which is 93,000,000 miles.
Revolutions
The motion of one body around another, such as the Earth in it’s orbit around the Sun.
Crescent moon
The illuminated surface is less than a quarter illuminated.
Penumbra
A region of lighter shadow that may surround a dark central region.
Mare
A large dark plan of solidified lava on the moon.
Galaxy
Millions and billions of stars held together in a group by their own gravity.
Umbria
The dark central region of a shadow such as the cone of complete shadow cast by an object.
Comet
A body that produces a coma of gas and dust, a small icy body that orbits the Sun.
Eclipse
An event during which one object in space cast a shadow onto another.
Gibbs moon
More than half but less than fully illuminated.
Orbit
The path of an object in space as it moves around another object due to gravity.
Heliocentric theory
A Sun centered theory of the universe.
Tide
The rise and fall of the oceans caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and Sun.
Waning
The gradual decrease in the illuminated surface of the moon.
Geocentric theory
Earth centered theory of the solar system.
Ellipses
An oval or flattened surface.
Seasons
One of a pattern of temperature changes and other weather trends over the course of a year.
Gravity
The force that objects exert on one another because of their mass.
Impact creater
A round pit left behind on the surface of a planet after a smaller object strikes the surface.
Solar system
The sun and it’s family of orbiting planets
Gas giant
A lager planet that con
