Save
Busy. Please wait.
Log in with Clever
or
show password
Forgot Password?
Don't have an account?  Sign up 
Sign up using Clever
or
Username is available taken
show password


Make sure to remember your password. If you forget it there is no way for StudyStack to send you a reset link. You would need to create a new account. Your email address is only used to allow you to reset your password. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Already a StudyStack user? Log In

Reset Password
Enter the associated with your account, and we'll email you a link to reset your password.
focusNode
Didn't know it?
click below
 
Knew it?
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
0:00
edit
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.

  Normal Size     Small Size show me how

Astronomy

TermDefinition
Astonomy the science that deals with the material universe beyond the earth's atmosphere.
Geocentric having or representing the earth as a center
Heliocentric measured or considered as being seen from the center of the sun
Retrograde Motion refers to the backwards motion of planets
Ellipse an oval
Astronomical Unit average distance from earth to sun
Rotation the spinning of a body, such as earth, about its axis
Revolution the motion of one body about another
Precession he slow, motion of the earth's axis of rotation, caused by the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon, and, to a smaller extent, of the planets
Perihelion the point in the orbit of a planet or comet at which it is nearest to the sun.
Aphelion the point in the orbit of a planet or a comet at which it is farthest from the sun.
Perigee the point in the orbit of a heavenly body, especially the moon, or of an artificial satellite at which it is nearest to the earth.
Apogee the point in the orbit of a heavenly body, especially the moon, or of a man-made satellite at which it is farthest from the earth.
Phases of the Moon new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning crescent.
Solar eclipse the obscuration of the light of the sun by the intervention of the moon between it and a point on the earth
Lunar Eclipse the obscuration of the light of the moon by the intervention of the earth between it and the sun
Crater the cup-shaped depression or cavity on the surface of the earth or other heavenly body marking the orifice of a volcano.
Terrestrial Planet any of the four planets closest to the sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, or Mars.
Jovian Planet any of the four large outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Nebula a cloud of interstellar gas and dust
Planetesimal one of the small celestial bodies that, were fused together to form the planets of the solar system.
Asteroid any of the thousands of small bodies of from 480 miles (775 km) to less than one mile (1.6 km) in diameter that revolve about the sun in orbits lying mostly between those of Mars and Jupiter.
Comet a celestial body moving about the sun, usually in a highly eccentric orbit, consisting of a central mass surrounded by an envelope of dust and gas that may form a tail that streams away from the sun
Coma the nebulous envelope around the nucleus of a comet
Meteoroid any of the small bodies, often remnants of comets, traveling through space: when such a body enters the earth's atmosphere it is heated to luminosity and becomes a meteor.
Meteor a transient fiery streak in the sky produced by a meteoroid passing through the earth's atmosphere; a shooting star or bolide
Meteorite a mass of stone or metal that has reached the earth from outer space; a fallen meteoroid.
Electromagnetic Spectrum he entire spectrum, considered as a continuum, of all kinds of electric, magnetic, and visible radiation, from gamma rays having a wavelength of 0.001 angstrom to long waves having a wavelength of more than 1 million km.
Photon he entire spectrum, considered as a continuum, of all kinds of electric, magnetic, and visible radiation, from gamma rays having a wavelength of 0.001 angstrom to long waves having a wavelength of more than 1 million km.
Spectroscopy the science that deals with the use of the spectroscope and with spectrum analysis.
Doppler Effect the shift in frequency (Doppler shift) of acoustic or electromagnetic radiation emitted by a source moving relative to an observer as perceived by the observer.
Refracting Telescope an optical instrument for making distant objects appear larger and therefore nearer
Reflecting Telescope has a concave mirror that gathers light from the object and focuses it into an adjustable eyepiece or combination of lenses through which the reflection of the object is enlarged and viewed.
Radio Telescope a system consisting of an antenna, either parabolic or dipolar, used to gather radio waves emitted by celestial sources and bring them to a receiver placed in the focus.
Hubble Telescope a telescope launched into orbit around the earth in 1990 to provide information about the universe in the visible, infrared, and ultraviolet ranges
Space shuttle any of several U.S. space vehicles consisting of a reusable manned orbiter that touches down on a landing strip after an orbital mission
Created by: 3084827
Popular Earth Science sets

 

 



Voices

Use these flashcards to help memorize information. Look at the large card and try to recall what is on the other side. Then click the card to flip it. If you knew the answer, click the green Know box. Otherwise, click the red Don't know box.

When you've placed seven or more cards in the Don't know box, click "retry" to try those cards again.

If you've accidentally put the card in the wrong box, just click on the card to take it out of the box.

You can also use your keyboard to move the cards as follows:

If you are logged in to your account, this website will remember which cards you know and don't know so that they are in the same box the next time you log in.

When you need a break, try one of the other activities listed below the flashcards like Matching, Snowman, or Hungry Bug. Although it may feel like you're playing a game, your brain is still making more connections with the information to help you out.

To see how well you know the information, try the Quiz or Test activity.

Pass complete!
"Know" box contains:
Time elapsed:
Retries:
restart all cards