TEST 1 Flashcards
The totality of all space, time matter, and energy
Universe
The study of the universe
Astronomy
The distance traveled by light in a year, at a speed of about 300,000 kilometers per second
Light-years
The approach to investigation, combining thinking and doing, that is, theory and experiment
Scientific method
patterns and relationships among objects even when no true connection exists
Constellations
A canopy of stars resembling an astronomical painting on a heavenly ceiling
Celestial sphere
the points where Earth’s axis intersects the celestial sphere
Celestial poles
Represents the intersection of Earth’s equatorial plane with the celestial sphere, lies midway between the north and south celestial poles
Celestial equator
The apparent motion of the Sun on the sky traces out a path on the celestial sphere known as…
Ecliptic
A day measured by the stars
Sidereal day
The 12 constellations through which the Sun passes as it moves along the ecliptic
Zodiac
The tilt of Earth’s rotation axis relative to the ecliptic is responsible for the…
Seasons
The two points where the ecliptic intersects the celestial equator, that is, where Earth’s rotation axis is perpendicular to the line joining Earth to the Sun
Equinoxes
Occurs in northern spring, on or near March 21, as the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving north
Vernal equinox
Like a spinning top that rotates rapidly on its own axis while that axis slowly revolves about the vertical, Earth’s axis changes its direction over the course of time. This change is called…
Precession
The time required for Earth to complete exactly one orbit around the Sun, relative to the stars
Sidereal year
An imaginary line on the celestial sphere through the north and south celestial poles, passing directly overhead at the given location
Meridian
The average (or mean) of all solar days over an entire year
Mean solar day
In 1 ____, the Moon completes one revolution and returns to its starting point on the celestial sphere
sidereal month
