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ch.18 sec.1-3 vocab
astronomy
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| astronomy | the study of the universe |
| year | the time required for the earth to orbit once around the sun |
| month | a division of the year that is based on the orbit of the moon around the earth |
| day | the time required for earth to rotate once on its axis |
| telescope | an instrument that collects electromagnetic radiation from the sky and concentrates it for better observation |
| refracting telescope | a telescope that uses a set of lenses to gather and focus light from distant objects |
| reflecting telescope | a telescope that uses a curved mirror to gather and focus light from distant objects |
| electromagnetic spectrum | all of the frequencies or wave lengths of electromagnetic radiation |
| constellation | a region of the sky that contains a recognizable star pattern and that is used to describe the location of objects in space |
| zenith | the point in the sky directly above an observer on earth |
| altitude | the angle between an object in the sky and the horizon |
| horizon | the line where the sky and the earth appear to meet |
| light-year | the distance that light travels in one year; about 9.46 trillion kilometers |