Solar System Vocabulary Flashcards
(25 cards)
Nebula
A nebula is a distinct body of interstellar clouds.
Solar Nebula
Solar nebula, gaseous cloud from which, in the so-called nebular hypothesis of the origin of the solar system, the Sun and planets formed by condensation.
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear fusion is a reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei are combined to form one or more different atomic nuclei and subatomic particles.
Sunspot
Sunspots are temporary phenomena on the Sun’s photosphere that appear as spots darker than the surrounding areas.
Terrestrial Planets
A terrestrial planet, telluric planet, or rocky planet is a planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals.
Prograde Rotation
Retrograde motion in astronomy is, in general, orbital or rotational motion of an object in the direction opposite the rotation of its primary, that is, the central object.
Retrograde Rotation
Retrograde motion in astronomy is, in general, orbital or rotational motion of an object in the direction opposite the rotation of its primary, that is, the central object. It may also describe other motions such as precession or nutation of an object’s rotational axis.
Gas Giant
A gas giant is a giant planet composed mainly of hydrogen and helium.
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object that has been intentionally placed into orbit.
New Moon
In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude.
Waxing Crescent
The waxing crescent phase is the moon’s first step toward fullness.
1st Quarter Moon
First quarter: The moon is 90 degrees away from the sun in the sky and is half-illuminated from our point of view.
Waxing Gibbous
The Waxing Gibbous is an intermediate phase of the Moon that starts right after the First Quarter when the illumination is 50%.
Full Moon
The full moon is the lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth’s perspective.
Waning Gibbous
The Waning Gibbous is an intermediary Moon phase.
Last Quarter Moon
A last quarter moon appears half-lit by sunshine and half-immersed in its own shadow.
Waning Crescent
The waning crescent is the last phase of the moon.
Solar Eclipse
A solar eclipse occurs when a portion of the Earth is engulfed in a shadow cast by the Moon which fully or partially blocks sunlight. T
Lunar Eclipse
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow.
Comet
A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing.
Asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System.
Asteroid Belt
The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, located roughly between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars.
Meteoroid
A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space.
Meteorite
A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon.
