Space Vocabulary

Question 1

Orbit

Answer 1

the circular or elliptical path of an object as it revolves around another object

Question 2

Solar system

Answer 2

system of objects that revolve around a star

Question 3

Galaxy

Answer 3

a group of solar systems, dust, and gas held together by gravity; our solar system is part of the Milky Way galaxy

Question 4

Universe

Answer 4

everything that exists in, on and around the Earth

Question 5

Satellite

Answer 5

a natural or artificial object that revolves around another object in space

Question 6

Impact crater

Answer 6

a large, circular pit in the surface of a planet or other body in space usually formed when two bodies in space collide

Question 7

Rotation

Answer 7

the spinning of a celestial body, such as a planet, around an axis

Question 8

Revolution

Answer 8

the orbiting of an object around another object

Question 9

Season

Answer 9

a period of the year determined by the position of Earth as it revolves around the sun

Question 10

Equinox

Answer 10

the twice-a-year occurrence during which Earth’s axis is perpendicular (at a 90 angle) to a line joining the Sun and Earth’s center

Question 11

Solstice

Answer 11

the twice-a-year occurrence during which the Sun appears at the highest point in the sky as seen from the North or South pole

Question 12

Mare

Answer 12

having to do with the moon or moon cycles

Question 13

Eclipse

Answer 13

an event whereby one astronomical body passes between two other astronomical bodies

Question 14

Umbra

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

Astronomical unit(AU)

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Penumbra

Answer 16

the partially shaded outer region of the shadow cast by an opaque object.

Question 17

Ellipse

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

Terresrtial

Answer 18

of, on, or relating to the earth.

Question 19

Planet

Answer 19

a celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star

Question 20

Gas giant

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Asteroid

Answer 21

a small rocky body orbiting the sun. Large numbers of these, ranging in size from nearly 600 miles (1,000 km) across (Ceres) to dust particles, are found (as the asteroid belt ) especially between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, though some have more eccentric orbits, and a few pass close to the earth or enter the atmosphere as meteors.

Question 22

Comet

Answer 22

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 23

Meteor

Answer 23

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 24

Meteorite

Answer 24

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 25

Geocentric

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Heliocentric

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Gravity

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Tide

Answer 28

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 29

Waxing

Answer 29

Then, there is a waxing or waning Gibbous moon, which means more than half of the moon is illuminated.

Question 30

Wannig

Answer 30

Waning is the opposite, or decreasing after a full moon, and is always illuminated on the left.

Question 31

Gibbous moon

Answer 31

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 32

Crescent moon

Answer 32

A crescent is a thin, curved shape that’s thicker in the middle and tapers to thin points at each end, like the little sliver of moon you might notice in the sky.

Question 33

Full moon

Answer 33

the phase of the moon in which its whole disk is illuminated.

Question 34

New moon

Answer 34

the phase of the moon when it is in conjunction with the sun and invisible from earth, or shortly thereafter when it appears as a slender crescent.

Question 35

Quarter moon

Answer 35

A quarter moon occurs when we see the Moon half illuminated by the Sun, and half enshrouded in darkness.

Question 36

Perihelion

Answer 36

the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is closest to the sun.

Question 37

Aphelion

Answer 37

the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is closest to the sun.