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astronomy
Term | Definition |
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astronomy | the branch of science that deals with celestial objects,space, and the physical universe as a whole. |
geocentric | having or representing the earth as the center, as in former astronomical systems. |
heliocentric | having or representing the sun as the center, as in the accepted astronomical model of the solar system. |
ellipse | a regular oval shape, traced by a point moving in a plane so that the sum of the distances from two other points is constant, or resulting when a cone is cut by a oblique plane that does not intersect the base. |
astronomical unit | a unit of measurement equal to 149.6 million kilometers, the mean distance from the center of the sun. |
rotation | the action of rotating around an axis or a center. |
revolution | an instance of revolving. |
perihelion | the point of an orbit of a planet, asteroid, or a comet at which it is closest to the sun. |
aphelion | the point of an orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is furthest from the sun. |
phases of the moon | is the shape of the illuminated portion of the moon as seen by an observer on earth. |
solar eclipse | an eclipse in which the sun is obscured by the moon. |
lunar eclipse | an eclipse in which the moon appears darkened as it passes into the earth's shadow. |
terrestrial planet | is a planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals. |
jovian planet | it means gas planets, which are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. |
asteroid | A small rocky body orbiting the sun. |
comet | A celestial object consisting of a nucleus of ice and dust and, when near the sun, A "tail" of gas and dust particles pointing away from the sun. |
meteoroid | A small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it entered the earths atmosphere. |
Meteor | A small body of matter from outer space that enters the earths atmosphere. |
Meteorite | A meteor that survives it's passage through the earths atmosphere such that part of it strikes the ground. |
Electromagnetic spectrum | The range of wavelengths of frequencies over which electromagnetic spectrum extends. |
Photon | A particle representing a quantum of lights or other electromagnetic spectrums. |
Doppler effect | An increase in the frequency of sound light or other waves as the sources and observer move toward each other. |
Refracting telescope | A telescope that uses a converging lens to collect light. |
Reflecting telescope | A telescope in which a mirror is used to collect and focus light. |
Radio telescope | An instrument used to detect radio emissions from the sky whether from natural celestial objects or from artificial satellites. |
Hubble telescope | Is a space telescope that was launched into low earth orbit in 1990. |
Space shuttle | A rocket launched spacecraft able to land like an unpowered aircraft used to make repeated journeys. |