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Vocab Astronomy 1
Created a study stack for homework
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 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 a center, as in formal astronomical systems |
| Heliocentric | Having or representing the sun as the center |
| Retrograde motion | The apparent motion of a planet to move in an opposite direction to that of other bodies |
| Ellipse | Regular oval shape traced by a point moving in a plane so that the sum is constant |
| Astronomical Unit (AU) | A unit of measurement equal to 149.6 kilometers (mean distance from the center of the earth to the sun) |
| Rotation | The action of rotating around a center or axis |
| Revolution | An instance of revolving |
| Precession | The slow movement of the axis of a spinning body another axis (torque acting to change direction of first action) |
| Perihelion | The point of the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which is closest to the sun |
| Aphelion | The point of the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which is furthest from the sun |
| Perigree | The point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is nearest to the earth |
| Apogee | The point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is furthest from the earth |
| Phases of the moon | Shape of the illuminated portion of the moon as seen from observers on earth |
| Solar eclipse | When the sun is obscured by the moon |
| Lunar eclipse | When the moon appears darkened as it passes into the earths shadow |
| Crater | Large, bowl shaped cavity in the ground or on the surface of a planet |
| Terrestrial planet | A planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks/metals |
| Jovian planet | Means ''land'' ( planets on the other side- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune ) |
| Nebula | A cloud of gas and dust in outer space, visible in the night sky |
| Planetesimal | A body that could or did come together with many others under gravitation to form a planet |
| Asteroid | A small rocky body orbiting the sun |
| Comet | Celestial object consisting of a nucleus of ice and dust |
| Coma | Part of the comet |
| Meteoroid | A small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it entered the earth's atmosphere |
| Meteor | A small body of matter in outer space that enters the earth's atmosphere appearing as a streak of light |
| Meteorite | A meteor that survives its way through earth's atmosphere such that part of it strikes the ground |
| Electromagnetic spectrum | The range of wavelengths or frequencies over which electromagnetic radiation extends |
| Photon | A particle representing a quantum of light or other electromagnetic radiation |
| Spectroscopy | The branch of science concerned with the investigation and measurement of spectra |
| Doppler effect | An increase or decrease in the frequency of sound, light, or other waves as the source and observer move toward each other |
| Refracting telescope | Uses converging lenses to collect light |
| Reflecting telescope | Mirror is used to collect and focus light |
| Radio telescope | Detects radio emissions from the sky |
| Hubble telescope | A telescope launched launched into orbit around the earth in 1990 to provide information about the universe |
| Space shuttle | A rocket launched spacecraft , able to land like an unpowered aircraft- used for repeated journeys between earth and earth orbit |
Created by:
Jonathan Adderly
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