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Sun-Earth-Moon
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| satellite | a body that orbits a planet |
| star | giant ball of superheated gas or plasma |
| planet | spherical, orbits the sun, larger than objects around it |
| meteor | a streak of light produced by a meteorite |
| comet | cold mixture of dust and ice |
| constellations | a pattern of stars that represent a figure or animal |
| geocentric | earth centered |
| heliocentric | sun centered |
| ellipse | the oval shape of the planets’ orbits |
| sun | largest object in our solar system |
| axis | an imaginary line going from the north to south pole |
| rotation | spinning on axis |
| revolution | the movement of one object around another |
| orbit | earth’s path around the sun |
| solstice | a day in which the northern or southern hemisphere has the strongest tilt towards the sun |
| equinox | a day in which the amount of day and night are equal |
| gravity | pulls objects towards the floor |
| law of universal gravitation | every object in the universe pulls together other objects |
| 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 | when the earth is directly between the moon and sun during a full moon |
| umbra | darkest part of a shadow where light is completely blocked |
| penumbra | area of a shadow when 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 first and third quarter moons |
| maria | dark, smooth, lava covered areas on the moon |
| highlands | higher lighter areas on the moon covered with craters |