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Unit 4
The Earth-Moon-Sun Systems
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Rotation | The spin of a body on its axis. |
| Day | The time required for Earth to rotate once on its axis. |
| Revolution | The motion of a body that travels around another body in space: one complete trip along an orbit. |
| Year | The time required for Earth to orbit once around the Sun. |
| Season | A division of the year that is characterized by recurring weather conditions, and determined by both Earth's tilt relative to the sun and Earth's position in its orbit around the sun. |
| Equinox | The moment when the sun appears to cross the celestial equator. |
| Solstice | The point at which the sun is as far north or as far south of the equator as possible. |
| Satellite | A natural or artificial body that revolves around a plant. |
| Gravity | A force of attraction between objects that is due to their masses. |
| Lunar Phases | The different appearance of the moon from Earth throughout the month. |
| Eclipse | An event which the shadow of one celestial body falls on another. |
| Umbra | A shadow that blocks sunlight, such as the conical section in the shadow of the Earth or the moon. |
| Penumbra | The outer part of a shadow such as the shadow cast by Earth or the moon in which sunlight is only partially blocked. |
| Tide | The periodic rise and fall of the water level in the oceans and other large bodies of water. |
| Tidal Range | The difference in levels of ocean water at high tide and low tide. |
| Spring Tide | A tide of increased range that occurs two times a month, at the new and full moons. |
| Neap Tide | A tide of minimum range that occurs during the first and third quarters of the moon. |