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Sun-Earth-Moon
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Satellite | A body that orbits a planet |
| Star | A giant ball of superheated gas, or plasma, composed of hydrogen and helium |
| Planet | An object that orbits the sun |
| Meteor | A streak of light produced when a small piece of rock or ice known as a meteoroid, burns up as it enters Earths atmosphere |
| Comet | A cold mixture of dust and ice that develops a long trail of light |
| Constellation | A pattern or group of starts that people imagine represents a figure, animal, or object |
| Geocentric | Earth-centered model |
| Heliocentric | Sun-centered |
| Ellipse | An oval shape |
| Sun | Largest object in our solar system |
| Axis | An imaginary line that passes from the North Pole, through the Earths center, to the South Pole |
| Rotation | The spinning of Earth on its axis |
| Revolution | The movement of one object around another |
| Orbit | Earths path |
| Solstice | One day per year when the sun appears highest in the sky |
| Equinox | Halfway between the solstice, neither hemisphere is tilted toward the sun |
| Gravity | A force that attracts all objects toward each other |
| Law of universal gravitation | A law that states every object in the universe attracts every other object |
| Inertia | The tendency of an object to resist a change in motion |
| Phase | Different shape of the moon you see |
| Solar eclipse | When the moon passes directly between the Earth and Sun during a new moon |
| Lunar eclipse | Occurs during a full moon when Earth is directly between the moon and Sun |
| Umbra | Darkest part of a shadow where light is completely blocked |
| Penumbra | Area of a shadow where light is partially blocked |
| Tide | Daily rise and fall of ocean water |
| Spring tide | Higher high tides during full and new moons |
| Neap tide | Lower high tides during the first and third quarter moons |
| Maria | Dark , smooth, lava covered areas on the moon |
| Highlands | Higher lighter areas on the moon covered with craters |