Vocab Solar System

Question 1

Orbit

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Solar System

Answer 2

a 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

Tides

Answer 6

Rise and fall of the ocean caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon.

Question 7

Impact Crater

Answer 7

The Moon’s surface is covered with bowl shaped holes called craters. The Barringer Crater was made by a meteor that struck Earth thousand of years ago.

Question 8

Rotation

Answer 8

Rotation is the act of spinning around an axis. Earth rotates on its axis, which is “tilted” in relation to the Sun. This causes our seasons.

Question 9

Revolution

Answer 9

The movement of an object around another object, in an orbit,is called revolution. Earth completes one revolution around the Sun, every 365.26 days, in an elliptical orbit. The Moon also revolves around Earth in an orbit of 27.3 days.

Question 10

Season

Answer 10

As Earth revolves around the Sun, it’s tilted axis causes some parts to be pushed toward the Sun and others away from it. During June, the Northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, and places like North America, Europe, and Asia experience summer. During this time, the Southern hemisphere experiences winter.

Question 11

Equinox

Answer 11

the time or date (twice each year) at which the sun crosses the celestial equator, when day and night are of equal length (about September 22 and March 20).

Question 12

Solstice

Answer 12

A solstice is an astronomical event that occurs twice each year (in June and December) as the Sun reaches its highest or lowest excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Both the solstices and the equinoxes are directly connected with the seasons of the year.

Question 13

Eclipse

Answer 13

An eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon caused by the revolution of the Moon around Earth. When the Moon moves into Earth’s shadow, we see a lunar eclipse. When the Moon is positioned directly between Earth and the Sun, its shadow falls on Earth, producing a solar eclipse.

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.Compare with penumbra.

Question 15

Penumbra

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Astronomical unit

Answer 16

Astronomical unit is used to measure distance in the solar system. The distance from Earth to the sun is 1 AU and the distance from Mars to the sun is 1.5 AU.

Question 17

Eclipse

Answer 17

On a sunny day, the ground is covered with shadows because objects block the Sun’s light. When Earth is between the Sun and the Moon, it casts a shadow on the Moon, covering it. This is called a lunar eclipse. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting its shadow on Earth

Question 18

Terrestrial planet

Answer 18

A terrestrial planet, telluric planet, or rocky planet is a planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals. Within the Solar System, the terrestrial planets are the inner planets closest to the Sun, i.e. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

Question 19

Gas giants

Answer 19

A gas giant is a giant planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter and Saturn are the Solar System’s gas giants. The term “gas giant” was originally synonymous with “giant planet”, but in the 1990s it became known that Uranus and Neptune are really a distinct class of giant planet, being composed mainly of heavier volatile substances (which are referred to as ‘ices’).

Question 20

Asteroid

Answer 20

Asteroids are irregularly shaped rocks that revolve around the Sun. Most asteroids are present in a band located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, known as the asteroid belt.

Question 21

Comet

Answer 21

Comets are balls of ice and rock that are seen moving across the sky. A comet’s body has two parts, a head and a tail. Comets move about the Solar System in orbits that take them far from the Sun. As they revolve around the Sun, their tail grows longer because the ice in the head boils away.

Question 22

Meteor

Answer 22

A view of the night sky might include a fast streak of light that quickly disappears. You might call it a “Shooting Star”. It is actually a meteor.

Question 23

Meteorite

Answer 23

When a meteoroid moving away from the asteroid belt hits Earth’s surface, it is called a meteorite. Due to the tremendous impact, a crater is formed on Earth’s surface where the meteorites strike.

Question 24

Geocentric

Answer 24

When the Earth is placed at the center of a system, the system is said to be geocentric. The Moon revolves around the Earth. The Earth-Moon system is geocentric.

Question 25

Heliocentric

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Gravity

Answer 26

The pull of gravity on the Earth and on the Moon is different. Earth is much larger than the moon. So, its mass is greater and the gravitational pull here is 9.8 m/s2. But on the Moon, the gravitational pull is only 1.6 m/s2. So, an object will weigh less on the Moon than it does on Earth.

Question 27

Tides

Answer 27

Tides occur due to the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon. At spring tide, the Sun and the Moon are in a straight line with each other. During this time, Earth experiences the highest high tides and the lowest low tides. At neap tide, the Sun and the Moon are at a 90 degree angle with each other. During this time, tides have the smallest range.

Question 28

Waxing

Answer 28

The lunar phase or phase of the moon is the shape of the illuminated (sunlit) portion of the Moon as seen by an observer on Earth. The lunar phases change cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing positions of the Moon and Sun relative to the Earth. The Moon’s rotation is tidally locked by the Earth’s gravity, therefore the same lunar surface always faces Earth.

Question 29

Waning

Answer 29

The lunar phase or phase of the moon is the shape of the illuminated (sunlit) portion of the Moon as seen by an observer on Earth. The lunar phases change cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing positions of the Moon and Sun relative to the Earth. The Moon’s rotation is tidally locked by the Earth’s gravity, therefore the same lunar surface always faces Earth.

Question 30

Gibbous

Answer 30

The lunar phase or phase of the moon is the shape of the illuminated (sunlit) portion of the Moon as seen by an observer on Earth. The lunar phases change cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing positions of the Moon and Sun relative to the Earth. The Moon’s rotation is tidally locked by the Earth’s gravity, therefore the same lunar surface always faces Earth.

Question 31

Crescent

Answer 31

When the Moon as seen from Earth is a narrow crescent, Earth as viewed from the Moon is almost fully lit by the Sun. Often, the dark side of the Moon is dimly illuminated by indirect sunlight reflected from Earth, but is bright enough to be easily visible from Earth.

Question 32

Full moon

Answer 32

The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth’s perspective. This occurs when Earth is located directly between the Sun and the Moon (more exactly, when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180°).This means that the lunar hemisphere facing Earth – the near side – is completely sunlit …

Question 33

New moon

Answer 33

In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude.

Question 34

Quarter

Answer 34

A quarter moon occurs when we see the Moon half illuminated by the Sun, and half enshrouded in darkness. Since the illuminated side points towards the Sun, it tells astronomers that the Moon and the Sun are separated by 90-degrees from our perspective here on Earth.