Final Study Guide Flashcards
(22 cards)
Equator
Line dividing the earth into two parts. North and south poles
Waxing crescent
Light on the right side of the moon
🌒
Equinox
The date/time of day that the sun crosses the celestial equator
Waning Gibbous
Light on the left side of the moon almost full
🌖
Parsec
Unit of distance when the earth’s orbit creates an angle of one second of arc
Meridian
An imaginary vertical line from north to south. Creates east and west
Light Year
Distance light travels in one year
Analemma
Depicts the daily position of the sun throughout the year
Ecliptic
The sun’s apparent path during the year. Like the solar and lunar eclipse
Constellation
A group of stars forming patterns usually named after their mythological story
Winter solstice
Northern Hemisphere. When the earth’s axis is tilted farthest from the sun. Shortest day and longest night
Circumpolar
Stars that are seen from a particular latitude
Waning crescent
Light on the left side of the moon🌘
Synchronous Rotation
When an object’s rotational period (how long it takes to spin) matches its orbital period (how long it takes to orbit another object)
Precession
The movement of an axis spinning around another axis because of the gravitational pull
Zodiac
The belt of the heavens split into 13 different constellations
Zenith
The point in the sky when a celestial object is directly above an observer
Nadir
The point of a celestial object direction below an observer
Summer Solstice
When the earth’s axis is closest to the sun
Horizon
The line that appears to separate the earth from the sky
Astronomical Unit
The distance from the center of the earth to the center of the sun
Waxing Gibbous
When the light is on the right side of the moon. Almost full
