Term | Definition |
Astronomy | The study of space and celestial objects such as stars, planets, and moons. |
Astronomer | Someone who studies astronomy. |
Rotation | The action of turning around an axis or center |
Revolution | When a celestial body orbits once fully around a sun creating one year. |
Orbit | The path a celestial body or satellite takes around another celestial body or satellite. |
Constillation | A group of stars that that form a recognizable shape or image. |
Geocentric theory | The idea that the Earth is the center of the universe, instead of the sun, and that all the planets and celestial bodies orbit it. |
Heliocentric theory | The Earth, planets, and other objects orbit the sun, instead of the Earth. |
Comet | A frozen ball of dust that when near the sun, has a tail pointed away from the sun. |
Gravity | An invisible force that attracts objects toward the origin of it. |
Solar system | A collection of celestial bodies and other objects orbiting a star. |
NASA | The National Aeronautics and Space Administration. |
Meteor | A small body of space matter that when entering a planets atmosphere, it becomes incandescent. |
Telescope | A device that makes far away objects seem closer and clearer. |
Solstice | When the sun reaches the highest or lowest point in the sky at solar noon, marked by the shortest and longest days. |
Equinox | When the sun's light points directly at the equator and their is equal day and night. |
Axis | An imaginary line drawn through a planet that they rotate on. |
Equator | An imaginary line drawn around the center Earth dividing the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. |
Waxing | To Grow |
Waning | To Shrink |
Moon Phases | Stages the moon goes through during its orbit.
New Moon, Waxing Crescent, 1st Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, 3rd Quarter, Waning Crescent... |
Moon's orbital tilt | 5 degrees |
Sun | A star in which planets orbit. |
Satellite | An object that orbits something. |
Orbit | The path a celestial object takes around another. |
Solar Eclipse | When the moon moves in front of Earth and blocks out the suns light |
Lunar eclipse | When the Earth crosses in front of the moon and blocks out its light. |
Maria | A flat surface eon the moon that looks like water. Latin for "seas" |
Tides | The alternate rising and falling of ocean levels. High tide when the tides are taller, and Low tide when the tides are shorter. |
Spring tide | When the SEM are aligned, and the high tide is unusually strong. |
Neap tide | When the sun and moon are at a right angle, there is the lowest difference between tides. |
Umbra | The most shaded part of the moon's or earth's shadow during an eclipse. |
Penumbra | The partially shaded part of the moon's or earth's shadow during an eclipse. |