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