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Astronomy Vocabulary
Science Astronomy Vocabulary Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| astronomy | the study of objects and matter outside the earth's atmosphere and of their physical and chemical properties |
| telescope | a device shaped like a long tube that you look through in order to see things that are far away |
| rotation | the action or process of rotating on or as if on an axis or center, one complete turn |
| tide | the regular upward and downward movement of the level of the ocean that is caused by the pull of the Sun and the Moon on the Earth |
| orbit | a path described by one body in its revolution about another (as by the earth about the sun |
| satellite | an object (such as a moon) that moves around a much larger planet |
| latitude | distance north or south of the equator measured in degrees up to 90 degrees |
| crater | a large round hole in the ground made by the explosion of a bomb or by something falling from the sky |
| revolution | the action of moving around something in a path that is similar to a circle |
| heliocentric | having or relating to the sun as the center |
| solstice | one of the two times during the year when the sun is farthest north or south of the equator |
| ellipse | a shape that resembles a flattened circle: oval |
| equinox | a day when day and night are the same length |
| Core | the inner most part of something |
| photsphere | the visible surface of the Sun/ the depth of a star's outer shell from which light is radiated |
| phase | the shape of the part of the moon that is visible at different times during a month |
| lunar eclipse | an occasion when the moon looks like it is completely or partially covered with a dark circle because the Earth's shadow is on it |
| chromosphere | the second layer of the three main layers in the Sun's atmosphere |
| gas giants | also known as the Jovian or Outer; the planets whose compositions are mostly gases, such as hydrogen, and small amounts of rocky material (mostly at their cores) |
| axis | the imaginary straight line in which an object (such as Earth) turns around |
| corona | a bright circle seen around the sun or the moon |
| solar eclipse | an occasion when the sun looks like it is completely or partially covered with a dark circle because the moon is between the sun and the Earth |
| gravity | the natural force that tends to cause physical things to move towards each other /the force that causes things to fall towards the Earth |
| greenhouse effect | the warming of the Earth's atmosphere that is caused by air pollution. The greenhouse effect occurs when warmth from the sun is trapped in the Earth's atmosphere by a layer of gases (such as carbon dioxide) and water vapor. |
| comet | an object in outer space that develops a long, bright tail when it passes near the sun |
| terrestrial planets | the terrestrial planets are the inner planets closest to the Sun |
| asteroid | any one of thousands of small planets that circle around the sun |
| asteroid belt | the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped asteroids |
| meteor | a piece of rock or metal that burns and glows brightly in the sky as it falls from outer space into the Earth's atmosphere |
| meteorite | a piece of rock or metal that has fallen to the ground from outer space: a meteor that reaches the surface of the Earth without burning up entirely |
| meteroid | a piece of stone-like or metal-like debris which travels in outer space |
| sunspot | temporary phenomena on the photosphere of the Sun that appear visibly as dark spots compared to surrounding regions. |
| prominences | a large, bright, gaseous feature extending outward from the Sun's surface, often in a loop shape. |
| solar flare | a sudden flash of brightness observed over the Sun's surface |
Created by:
sfarwell
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