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Astronomy Big 20
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Big Bang | The initial explosion that resulted in the formation and expansion of the universe |
Meteor | A streak of light in the sky produced by the burning of a meteoroid in Earth's atmosphere |
Ellipse | An elongated circle, or oval shape, the shape of the planet's orbits |
Heliocentric | A description of the solar system in which all of the planets revolve around the sun |
Lunar Eclipse | The blocking of sunlight to the moon that occurs when Earth is directly between the sun and moon |
Asteroid Belt | The region of hte solar system between the orbits of Mars and Juptier where many asteroids are found |
Waxing | The moon is growing |
Comet | A ball of ice and dust whose orbit is a long, narrow ellipse |
Autumnal Equinox | The day of the year that marks the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere |
Rotation | The spinning motion of a planet about its axis |
Meteorite | A meteoroid that has hit Earth's surface |
Solstice | The two days of the year on which the noon sun is directly overhead at either 23.5 S or 23.5 N |
Meteoroid | A chunk of rock or dust in space |
Waning | The moon is shrinking |
Geocentric | A description of the solar system in which all of the planets revolve around Earth |
Vernal Equinox | The day of the year that marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere |
Inertia | The tendency of a moving object to continue in a straight line or a stationary object to remain in place |
Revolution | The movement of an object around another object |
Solar Eclipse | The blocking of sunlight to Earth that occurs when the moon is between the sun and Earth |
Asteroids | Objects revolving around the sun that are too small and too numerous to be considered planets. |