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Earth Space Voc Chap
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| albedo | percentage of sunlight that is reflected by the surface of planet or a satellite, such as the moon. |
| apogee | farthest point in an object's orbit to earth. |
| electromagnetic spectrum | all types of electromagnetic radiation arranged according to wavelength and frequency |
| equiox | time of year during which earth's axis is at a 90 angle to the sun; both hemispheres receive exactly 12 hours of sunlight and the sun is directly overhead at the equator |
| ejecta | material that falls back to the lunar surface after being blasted out by the impact of a space object |
| highland | light-colored, mountainous, heavily cratered area of the moon, composed mostly of lunar breccias |
| interferomerty | process that links separate telescope so they act as one telescopes, producing more detailed images as the distance between them increases. |
| impact crater | crater formed when space material crashes into the surface of a celestial body. |
| lunar eclipse | when earth passes between the sun and the moon, and earth's shadow falls on the moon; occurs only during a full moon |
| mare | single dark-colored smooth plain on the moon's surface |
| maria | dark-colored, smooth plains on the moon's surface. |
| perigee | closest point in the moon elliptical orbit to earth. |
| refracting telescope | telescope that uses mirrors to focus visible light |
| ray | long trail of ejecta that radiates outward from an impact crater |
| rille | valleylike structure that meanders across some regions of the moon's maria |
| regolith | layer of loose, ground-up rock on the lunar surface |
| reflecting telescope | telescopes that uses mirrors to focus visible light |
| synchronous rotation | the state at which an orbiting body's orbital and rotational periods are equal |
| solstice | period when the sun is overhead at its farthest ditance either north or south of the equator |
| ecliptic plane | plane of earths orbit around the sun |