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Sun earth moon
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Satellite | Body that orbits a planet |
| Star | Giant ball of superheated gas, plasma, or composed of hydrogen and helium |
| Planet | Spherical, orbits the Sun with a larger mass then nearby objects |
| Meteor | A streak of light produced when a small piece of rock or ice |
| Comet | A cold mixture of dust and ice |
| Constellation | A pattern or group of stars that people imagine represents a figure, animal, or object |
| Geocentric | An earth centered model |
| Heliocentric | Sun centered |
| Ellipse | Oval shape of the planets orbits |
| 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 the other |
| Orbit | Earths path around the sun |
| Solstice | One day per year when the sun appears highest in the sky |
| Equinox | “Equal night” when the sun passes directly over head at the equator at noon |
| Gravity | A force that attracts all objects toward each other |
| Law of universal gravitation | 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 moon and sun |
| 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 huge tides during full and new moons |
| Neap tides | Lower high tides during the first and 3rd quarter moons |
| Maria | Dark smooth lava covered areas on the moon |
| Highlands | Higher lighter ares on the moon covered with craters |