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22 science
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Azimuth | an angle on the horizon, measured clockwise from north |
Celestial sphere | a model of the sky that appears like a dome overhead, to which the stars are fixed |
Constellation | a group of fixed stars with a definite name |
Day | one rotation of Earth on its axis |
Eclipse | an interception of the light of one celestial body by another |
Ecliptic | the path of the Sun through the zodiac |
Elevation | the angle of an object above the horizon |
Equinox | a day in which daytime and nighttime are approximately equal in length |
Inferior | between the Earth and the Sun |
Orbit | path of an object through space |
Latitude | distance in degrees north or south of the Equator |
Longitude | distance in degrees east or west of the Prime Meridian |
Nadir | the point on the celestial sphere directly below an observer's feet |
Revolution | the orbit of one object around another (or around a point in space) |
Rotation | the spin of an object around its own axis |
Sidereal month | the time taken for the Moon to complete one full revolution around Earth with respect to the stars |
Solstice | a day in which the daytime (summer solstice) or nighttime (winter solstice) is the longest of the year |
Superior | beyond the orbit of Earth around the Sun |
Synodic month | the time taken for the Moon to complete one cycle of its phases |
Waxing | the change in the Moon's appearance between new Moon and the following full Moon |
Waning | the change in the Moon's appearance between full Moon and the following new Moon |
Year | one revolution of Earth around the Sun |
Zenith | the point on the celestial sphere directly above an observer's head |
Inferior conjunction | the planet is directly between Earth and the Sun |
Superior conjunction | the planet is directly behind the Sun, as viewed from Earth |
Opposition | the planet is directly opposite the Sun in the sky, as seen by observers on Earth |
Conjunction | the planet is directly behind the Sun, as viewed from Earth |