click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Unit6EMS6thgr
Unit 6 Earth, Moon, Sun 6th grade
Term | Definition |
---|---|
crescent moon | a moon phase that looks like less than half a circle from Earth |
exomoon | a moon outside our solar system |
exoplanet | a planet outside our solar system |
full moon | a moon phase that looks like a full circle from Earth |
gibbous moon | a moon phase that looks like more than half a circle from Earth |
illuminate | to shine light on an object and make it visible |
lunar eclipse | when the Moon is completely dark |
model | an object, diagram, or computer program that helps us understand something by making it simpler or easier to see |
moon | a rocky sphere that travels around a planet |
moon phase | the shape of the illuminated part of the Moon as it appears from Earth |
new moon | a moon phase in which the Moon is not visible from Earth |
orbit | the nearly circular path a smaller object (like the Moon) travels around a larger object (like Earth) |
pattern | something we observe to be similar over and over again |
quarter moon | a moon phase that looks like a half-circle from Earth |
scale | the relative size of things |
solar system | the sun, the planets that orbit the sun, and other objects that orbit the sun |
sun | the star that is the main source of light at the center of our solar system |
terminator | the border between light and dark on the Moon |
year | the amount of time it takes for a planet to complete one orbit around a star or stars (Earth = 365.24 days) |
solar eclipse | Earth-Moon-Sun in syzygy; the Sun is blocked by the moon |
spring tide | greatest difference between high and low tide when Earth-Sun-Moon are aligned for New Moon and Full Moon |
neap tide | least amount of difference between high and low tide when Earth-Sun-Moon are at 90ยบ for quarter moons |
constellation | a group of stars that form a recognizable pattern and appear in the sky at the same time each year |
equinox | close to 12 hours daylight/12 hours nighttime (start of autumn or spring) |
solstice | unequal amounts of day/night (most hours of daylight start of summer, most hours of darkness start of winter) |
galaxy | a group of solar systems |
asteroid | irregularly shaped rocks that revolve around the Sun |
gravity | the force that attracts a body toward the center of Earth, or toward any other physical body having mass |
ray | straight line in which all light travels |
day | the amount of time it takes for a planet to complete one rotation on its axis (Earth = about 24 hours) |
syzygy | 3 celestial objects(objects in space) perfectly aligned |