Vocabulry Flashcards
Meteorite
A small object from outer space that passes through Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the surface
Impact Crater
A round pit left behind on the surface of a planet after a smaller object strikes on a surface
Universe
Space and all the matter and energy in it.
Gravity
The force that objects exert on one another because of their mass
Umbra
The dark central region of a shadow such as the cone of complete shadow cast by an object.
Comet
A body that produces a coma of gas and dust, a small icy body that orbits the sun.
Tide
The rise and fall of the oceans caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun.
Equinox.
In an orbit, a position and time in which sun shines equally on.
Asteroid
A small solid rocky body that orbits the sun.
Gibbous Moon
More than half but less than fully illuminated.
Axis of Rotation
An imaginary line about which a turning body such as earth
Heliocentric Theory
A sun centered theory of the universe
Orbit
The path of an object in space as it moves around another object due to gravity.
Meteor
A brief streak of light produced by a particle entering earth atmosphere at high speed
Satellite
An object that orbits a more massive object
New Moon
The entire surface of the moon is not illuminated.
Solstice
In an orbit, a position and time during which one hemisphere receives the maximum sunlight.
Galaxy
Millions and Billions of stars held together in a group by their own gravity.
Ellipse
An oval or flattened circle
Full moon
The entire surface of the moon is illuminated
Mare
A large dark plain of solidified lava on the moon
Quarter moon
Half of the moon is illuminated
Penumbra
A region of lighter shadow that may surround a dark central region
Waning
The gradual decrease in the illuminated surface of the moon
Astronomical Unit
Average distance from the sun which is 93,000,000 miles
Terrestrial Planet
A planet that has a rocky surface
Gas Giant
A large planet that consists mostly of gases in a dense form
Season
One of a pattern of temperature changes and other weather trends over the course of a year
Solar System
The sun and its family of orbiting planets and moons and other objects
Crescent moon
The illuminated surface is less than a quarter illuminated
Revolution
The motion of one body around another, such as the Earth in its orbit around the sun
Waxing
The gradual increase of the illuminated surface of the moon
Eclipse
An event during which one object in space casts a shadow onto another
Aphelion
How far a planet gets from the sun
Perihelion
How close a planet gets to the sun
Geocentric
Earths centered theory of the solar system.
