| Question |
 |
|
| Answer |
|
|
| constellation |
a region of the sky with well defined borders |
| celestial sphere |
the illusion of a sphere that encompasses the earth |
| North celestial pole |
point which lies directly over the North Pole |
| South celestial pole |
point which lies directly over the South Pole |
| celestial equator |
projection of Earth's equator into space |
| ecliptic |
path the sun follows |
| number of constellations |
88 |
| galactic plane |
our galaxy's disk of stars |
| local sky |
the sky as seen from where you are standing |
| horizon |
boundary between Earth and sky |
| zenith |
point directly overhead |
| meridian |
imaginary half-circle stretching from the horizon from N to S |
| azimuth |
direction of object along the horizon - measured in degrees |
| altitude |
position of object from between earth and sky
|
| angular size |
angle that an object appears to span |
| angular distance |
angle that appears to separate two objects |
| arcminutes |
one degree divided by 60 |
| arcseconds |
one arcminute divided by 60 |
| circumpolar |
stars that never rise but make daily counterclockwise circles |
| latitude |
measures N to S |
| longitude |
measures E to W |
| prime meridian |
line of longitude at 0 degrees - runs through Greenwich, England |
| sky visibility |
sky varies with latitude |
| zodiac |
constellations along the ecliptic |
| Earth's orbit |
summer solstice, winter solstice, spring equinox, fall equinox |
| precession |
a gradual wobble that changes the orientation of Earth's axis |
| lunar phases |
new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent |
| synchronous rotation |
moon must rotate once as it makes a single orbit around the Earth |
| lunar eclipse |
earth's shadow falls on moon |
| solar eclipse |
moon's shadow falls on earth |
| nodes |
two points at which the moon crosses the surface of the earth |
| umbra |
sunlight is completely blocked |
| penumbra |
sunlight is partially blocked |
| total lunar eclipse |
moon passes through earth's umbra - moon turns red |
| partial lunar eclipse |
part of moon passes through earth's umbra |
| penumbral lunar eclipse |
moon passes thought earth's penumbra |
| total solar eclipse |
moon comes between sun and earth - moon looks black |
| partial solar eclipse |
moon appears red in a crescent form |
| annual eclipse |
a ring of sunlight surrounds the disk of the moon |
| eclipse seasons |
two periods where the nodes of the moon's orbit are aligned with the sun |
| saros cycle |
changing dates of eclipse seasons |
Poultry
