Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Science Flash Cards > Science Vocab > Flashcards

Science Vocab Flashcards

1
Q

Orbit

A

the circular or elliptical path of an object as it revolves around another object

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Solar System

A

a system of objects that revolve around a sta

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Galaxy

A

a group of solar systems, dust, and gas held together by gravity; our solar system is part of the Milky Way galaxy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Universe

A

everything that exists in, on and around the Earth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Satellite

A

a natural or artificial object that revolves around another object in space

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Impact Crater

A

a large, circular pit in the surface of a planet or other body in space usually formed when two bodies in space collide

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Rotation

A

the spinning of a celestial body, such as a planet, around an axis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Revolution

A

the orbiting of an object around another object

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Season

A

a period of the year determined by the position of Earth as it revolves around the sun

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Equinox

A

the twice-a-year occurrence during which Earth’s axis is perpendicular (at a 90 angle) to a line joining the Sun and Earth’s center

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Solstice

A

the twice-a-year occurrence during which the Sun appears at the highest point in the sky as seen from the North or South Pole

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Mare

A

dark areas of the moon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Eclipse

A

an event whereby one astronomical body passes between two other astronomical bodies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Umbra

A

the dark central part of a sunspot

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Penumbra

A

the shadow cast by the earth or moon over an area experiencing a partial eclipse

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

astronomical unit (AU)

A

the mean distance from the center of the Earth to the center of the sun (about 149.6 million kilometers); used to measure distances in the solar system

17
Q

Ellipse

A

a regular oval shape, traced by a point moving in a plane so that the sum of its distances from two other points (the foci) is constant, or resulting when a cone is cut by an oblique plane which does not intersect the base.

18
Q

Terrestrial planet

A

any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in order of their proximity to the sun; viewed from the constellation Hercules, all the planets rotate around the sun in a counterclockwise direction

19
Q

Gas giant

A

a large planet of relatively low density consisting predominantly of hydrogen and helium, such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune

20
Q

Asteroid

A

a small object made of rock or metal that orbits the sun

21
Q

Comet

A

a body of ice and dust that travels in a long narrow orbit around the sun

22
Q

Meteor

A

a streak of light in the sky that forms when a piece of rock from space burns up in Earth’s atmosphere (related term: shooting star)

23
Q

Meteorite

A

a piece of rock or metal from space that strikes Earth’s surface

24
Q

Geocentric

A

having the Earth as the center

25
Q

Heliocentric

A

having the sun as the center

26
Q

Gravity

A

a force that exists between any two objects that have mass

27
Q

Tide

A

the regular fluctuation of sea water driven by the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun on Earth’s oceans and other large bodies of water

28
Q

Waxing

A

the moon at any time after new moon and before full moon, so called because its illuminated area is increasing

29
Q

Waning

A

the moon at any time after full moon and before new moon (so called because its illuminated area is decreasing)

30
Q

Gibbous Moon

A

The definition of gibbous refers to a moon in between a half-moon but less than a full moon, or something that protrudes or creates an obvious bulge

31
Q

Crescent Moon

A

The Moon as it appears in its first or last quarter

32
Q

Full moon

A

the moon with its whole apparent disk illuminated

33
Q

New moon

A

The moon’s phase when it is in conjunction with the sun so that its dark side is toward the earth

34
Q

Quarter Moon

A

Either of the intermediate stages between the new and full moons. In spite of the name, half of the Moon’s visible portion is lit up during a quarter moon

35
Q

Perihelion

A

the point in the orbit of a solar system body when it is closest to the Sun

36
Q

Aphelion

A

the point in the orbit of a planet or other orbiting body where it is farthest from the Sun or the body around which it revolves

Science Flash Cards (2 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions