click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Earth/Sun/Moon
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Rotation | The spinning motion of a planet about its axis. All planets/moons rotate. |
Axis | Imaginary line passing through the Earth's center and poles |
Earth's Rotation Causes... | Day and night. It takes 24 hours to make a complete rotation on Earth. |
Revolution | The movement of one object around another. |
Revolution of Planets | All planets in our solar system revolve around the Sun. |
Revolution of Moons | All Moons revolve around their Planet. |
Gravity | The attractive force between two objects depends on mass and distance. |
Inertia | The tendency of a moving object to continue in a straight line or a stationary object to remain in place unless acted upon by another object. |
Orbit | The path of an object as it revolves around another object in space. |
Latitude | The measurement of distance from the Equator. |
Solstice | The two days of the year at which the sun is directly overhead, at either 23.5 degrees North or 23.5 degrees South. |
Equinox | Two days of the year on which either hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the sun. |
Vernal Equinox | The day of the year that marks the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. |
Autumnal Equinox | The day of the year that marks the beginning of Fall in the Northern Hemisphere. |
Astronomy | The study of the moon, stars, and other objects in space. |
Phase | One of the different shapes of the Moon as seen from Earth. |
Eclipse | The partial or total blocking of one object by another. |
Solar Eclipse | The blocking of sunlight to Earth that occurs when the Moon is between the Sun and Earth. |
Lunar Eclipse | The blocking of sunlight to the Moon that occurs when the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. |
Umbra | The darkest part of a shadow. |
Penumbra | The part of a shadow surrounding the darkest part. |
Tide | The rise and fall of water levels in the ocean. |
Spring Tide | A tide with the greatest difference between low and high tides. |
Neap Tide | A tide with the least difference between low and high tides. |
Satellite | Any object that revolves around another object in space. |
Geosynchronous Orbit | The orbit of a satellite that revolves around Earth at the same rate that Earth rotates. |
Telescope | A device built to study distant objects by making them appear closer. |
Crater | A round pit on the Moon's surface. |
Maria | Dark, flat regions on the Moon's surface. |
Newton's 1st Law (Law of Inertia) | An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. |
Newton's 2nd Law | F = m * a (Force = mass * acceleration) |
Newton's 3rd Law | For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. |