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Sun, Earth, Moon
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Satellite | A body that orbits a planet. |
| Star | A giant ball of super heated gas, or plasma, composed of hydrogen and helium. |
| Planet | Spherical, orbits the Sun, with a larger mass of any nearby objects. |
| Meteor | A streak of light produced when a small piece of rock or ice, known as a meteoroid, burns up and enters Earth’s atmosphere. |
| Comet | A small trail of dust and ice that develops a long trail of light as it approaches the sun. |
| Constellation | A pattern or group of stars that people imagine represents a figure, animal, or object. |
| Geocentric | Earth-centered model |
| Heliocentric | Sun-centered model |
| Ellipse | Orbit of each planet is an oval shape. |
| Axis | An imaginary line that passes from the North Pole 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 in the year that the sun is the highest in the sky. |
| Equinox | Neither hemisphere is tilted toward the sun |
| Gravity | A force that attracts all objects towards each other. |
| Law of universal gravitation | States every object in the universe attracts each other. |
| Inertia | The tendency of an object to resist a change in motion. |
| Phase | Different shape of the moon you see |
| Solar eclipse | Moon phase directly between earth and the moon |
| Lunar eclipse | Full moon when earth is directly between the earth and the sun |
| Umbra | Darkest part of shadow where light is completely blocked |
| Penumbras | Area of 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 first and third quarter moons |
| Maria | Dark smooth, lava covered lands on the moon |
| Highlands | Higher lighter areas on the moon covered with craters |
| Weight | Force of gravity on an object |
| Sun | Largest object in our solar system |