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Astronomy
Astronomy: Various Terms
Term | Definition |
---|---|
rotation | the spinning motion of a planet about its axis. |
revolution | the movement of a object around another object. |
solar eclipse | the blocking of sunlight to Earth that occurs when the moon is between the sun and Earth. |
lunar eclipse | the blocking of sunlight to the moon that occurs when Earth is directly between the sun and moon. |
gas giant | the name given to the first four outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. |
comet | a ball of ice and dust whose orbit is a long, narrow ellipse. |
asteroid | objects revolving around the sun that are too small and too numerous to be considered planets. |
meteoroid | a chunk of rock or dust in space. |
meteor | a streak of light in the sky produced by the burning of a meteoroid in Earth's atmosphere. |
meteorite | a meteoroid that had hit Earth's surface. |