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Astronomy Vocabulary

8th Grade Science Unit 3

TermDefinition
absolute magnitude The brightness of a celestial object as it would be seen at a standard distance of 10 parsecs.
axis An imaginary line about which a body rotates.
counter-clockwise In the opposite direction to the way in which the hands of a clock move around.
crescent The curved sickle shape of the waxing or waning moon.
elliptical galaxy Type of galaxy having an approximately football or egg shape and a smooth, nearly featureless image. 
frequency Number of times a point on a wave passes a fixed reference point in one second.
galaxy A collect of millions of stars held together by gravity.
gibbous Having the observable illuminated part greater than a semicircle and less than a circle. Rounded
Hertzsprung Russell Diagram A graph of a star’s luminosity and temperature / color.
irregular galaxy A galaxy that does not have a distinct regular shape,and  typically contains large amounts of gas and dust, and their stars are often young.
luminosity The amount of light an object emits or gives off.
Lunar Cycle Refers to the moon's continuous orbit around the earth. As the moon orbits the earth, its appearance (the "phase") changes and thus gives us an indication of the moon's progress in the cycle.
main-sequence star Stars fuse hydrogen atoms to form helium atoms in their cores. About 90 percent of the stars in the universe, including the sun, are this type of star.
Milky Way Galaxy The galaxy where we live. Contains our sun and planets.
Moon An astronomical body that orbits planet Earth and is Earth's only permanent natural satellite.
neap tide Just after the first or third quarters of the moon when there is the least difference between high and low water.
nebulae A cloud of gas and dust in outer space, visible in the night sky either as an indistinct bright patch or as a dark silhouette against other luminous matter. The birthplace of stars.
revolve/revolution To orbit a central point.
rotate/rotation To turn on an axis.
seasons Each of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) marked by particular weather patterns and daylight hours, resulting from the earth's changing position with regard to the sun.
spectral class A classification of stars depending on their spectra and temperature; usually one of O, B, A, F, G, K, M.
spiral galaxy A galaxy in which the stars and gas clouds are concentrated mainly in one or more spiral arms, such as Earth's Milky Way Galaxy.
spring tide Just after a new or full moon, when there is the greatest difference between high and low water.
star A celestial sphere of gas held together by its own gravity. Born from a cloud of gas and dust called a nebula. When the core heats up enough, nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium occurs.
supergiant A class of extremely large and luminous stars, such as Betelgeuse, which have expanded to a large diameter and are eventually likely to explode as supernovae.
tilt Earth has seasons because our planet's axis of rotation is angled at 23.5 degrees relative to our orbital plane – the plane of Earth's orbit around the sun.
waning A progressively smaller part of the moon's visible surface illuminated, so that it appears to decrease in size.
wavelength Distance between two peaks in a wave
waxing A progressively larger part of the moon's visible surface illuminated, so that it appears to increase in size.
white dwarf A small very dense star that is typically the size of a planet. Formed when a low-mass star has exhausted all its central nuclear fuel and lost its outer layers as a planetary nebula.
Created by: kara.mabele
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