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Our Solar System Unit Test > Vocab > Flashcards

Vocab Flashcards

1
Q

absolute brightness

A

the brightness a star would have if it were at a standard distance from Earth

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2
Q

apparent brightness

A

the brightness of a star as seen from Earth

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3
Q

asteroid

A

one of the rocky objects revolving around the sun that are too small and numerous to be considered planets

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4
Q

asteroid belt

A

the region of the solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter where many asteroids are found

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5
Q

astronomical unit

A

a unit of distance equal to the average distance between Earth and the sun, or about 150 million kilometers

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6
Q

atmosphere

A

the gaseous envelope of a celestial body (as a planet)

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7
Q

big bang theory

A

the idea that includes the initial explosion that resulted in the formation of expansion of the universe

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8
Q

binary star

A

star system with two stars

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9
Q

black hole

A

an object whose gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape

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10
Q

chromosphere

A

the middle layer of the sun’s atmosphere

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11
Q

coma

A

the fuzzy outer layer of a comet

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12
Q

comet

A

a loose collection of ice and dust and orbits the sun, typically in a long, narrow orbit

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13
Q

cometary nucleus

A

the solid core of a comet.

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14
Q

convection zone

A

the outermost layer of the sun’s interior

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15
Q

core

A

the central region of the sun, where nuclear fusion takes place

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16
Q

corona

A

the outermost layer of the sun’s interior

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17
Q

cosmic background radiation

A

the electromagnetic radiation left over from the big bang

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18
Q

dark energy

A

a mysterious force that appears to be causing the expanions of the universe to accelerate

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19
Q

dark matter

A

matter that does not give off electromagnetic radiation but is quite abundant in the universe

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20
Q

dwarf planet

A

an object that orbits the sun and is spherical but has not cleared the area of its orbit

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21
Q

eclipsing binary

A

a binary star system in which one star periodically blocks the light from the other

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22
Q

elliptical galaxy

A

a galaxy shaped like around or flattened ball, generally containing only old stars

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23
Q

galaxy

A

a huge group of single stars, star systems, star clusters, dust, and gas bound together by gravity

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24
Q

gas giant

A

the name often given tot he outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune

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25
Q

geostationary orbit

A

an orbit in which a satellite orbits Earth at the same rate as Earth rotates and thus stays over the same place all the time

26
Q

globular cluster

A

a large, round, densely packed grouping of older stars

27
Q

greenhouse effect

A

the trapping of heat near a planet’s surface by certain gases in the planet’s atmosphere

28
Q

Hubble’s law

A

the observation that the farther away a galaxy is, the faster it is moving away

29
Q

irregular galaxy

A

a galaxy that does not have a regular shape

30
Q

Kuiper Belt

A

a region where many small objects orbit the sun and that stretches from beyond the orbit of Neptune to about 100 times Earth’s distance from the sun

31
Q

main sequence

A

a diagonal area on a Hertzsprung-Russel diagram that includes more than 90 percent of all stars

32
Q

meteor

A

a streak of light in the sky produced by the burning of a meteoroid in Earth’s atmosphere

33
Q

meteorite

A

a meteoroid that passes through the atmosphere and hits Earth’s surface

34
Q

meteoroid

A

a chunk of rock or dust in space, generally smaller than an asteroid

35
Q

microgravity

A

the condition of experiencing weightlessness in orbit

36
Q

nebula

A

a large cloud of gas and dust in space

37
Q

neutron star

A

the small, dense remains of a high-mass star after a supernova.

38
Q

nuclear fusion

A

the process in which two atomic nuclei combine to form a larger nucleus, forming a heavier element and releasing huge amounts of energy; the process by which energy is produced in stars

39
Q

Oort cloud

A

a spherical region of comets that surrounds the solar system

40
Q

open cluster

A

a star cluster that has a loose, disorganized appearance and contains no more than a few thousand stars

41
Q

orbit

A

the path of an object as it revolves around another object in space

42
Q

photosphere

A

the inner layer of the sun’s atmosphere that gives off its visible light; the sun’s surface

43
Q

planet

A

an object that orbits a star, is large enough to have become rounded by its own gravity, and has cleared the area of its orbit

44
Q

planetesimal

A

one of the small, asteroid-like bodies that formed the building blocks of the planets

45
Q

prominence

A

a huge, reddish loop of gas that protrudes from the sun’s surface, linking parts of sunspot regions

46
Q

protostar

A

a contracting cloud of gas sand dust with enough mass to form a star

47
Q

pulsar

A

a rapidly spinning neutron star that produces radio waves

48
Q

quasar

A

an enormously bright, distant galaxy with a giant black hole at its center

49
Q

radiation zone

A

a region of very tightly packed gas in the sun’s interior where energy is transferred, mainly in the form of electromagnetic radiation

50
Q

remote sensing

A

the collection of information about Earth and other objects in space using satellites or probes

51
Q

ring

A

a thin disk of small ice and rock particles surrounding a planet

52
Q

solar flare

A

an eruption of gas from the sun’s surface that occurs when the loops in sunspot regions suddenly connect

53
Q

solar system

A

the system consisting of the sun and the planets and other objects that revolve around it

54
Q

solar wind

A

a stream of electronically charged particles that emanates from the sun’s corona

55
Q

space spinoff

A

an item that has uses on Earth but was originally developed for use in space

56
Q

spectograph

A

an instrument that separates light into colors and makes an image of the resulting spectrum

57
Q

spiral galaxy

A

a galaxy with a bulge in the middle and arms that spiral outward in a pinwheel pattern

58
Q

sunspot

A

a dark area of gas on the sun’s surface that is cooler than surrounding gases

59
Q

supernova

A

the brilliant explosion of a dying supergiant star

60
Q

terrestrial planet

A

the name often given to the four inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

61
Q

vacuum

A

a place that is empty of all matter

62
Q

white dwarf

A

the blue-white hot core of a star that is left behind after its outer layers have expanded and drifted out into space

Our Solar System Unit Test (1 decks)

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