Space Flashcards
(34 cards)
The path of an object in space as it moves around another object due to gravity _
Orbit
The Sun and its family of orbiting planets and moons and other objects. _
Solar System
Millions and billions of stars held together in a group by their own gravity.
Galaxy
Space and all the matter and energy in it.
Universe
An object that orbits a more massive object.
Satellite
A round pit left behind on the surface of a planet after a smaller object strikes the surface.
Impact Crater
An imaginary line about which a turning body such as Earth rotates
Rotation
The motion of one body around another, such as the Earth in its orbit around the Sun.
Revolution
One of a pattern of temperature changes and other weather trends over the course of a year
Season
In an orbit, a position and time in which sun shines equally on both hemispheres.
Equinox
In an orbit, a position and time during which one hemisphere receives the maximum sunlight.
Solstice
A large dark plain of solidified lava on the moon.
Mare
An event during which one object in space casts a shadow onto another
Eclipse
The dark central region of a shadow such as the cone of complete shadow cast by an object
Umbra
A region of lighter shadow that may surround a dark central region
Penumbra
Average distance from the sun which is 93,000,000 miles
Astronomical Unit(AU)
An oval or flattened circle
Ellipse
A planet that has a rocky surface.
Terrestrial planets
A large planet that consists mostly of gases in a dense form
Gas Giant
A small solid rocky body that orbits the Sun.
Asteroid
A body that produces a coma of gas and dust, a small icy body that orbits the Sun
Comet
A brief streak of light produced by a particle entering Earth’s atmosphere at high speed.
Meteor
A small object from outer space that passes through Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the surface
Meteorite
Earth-centered theory of the solar system
Geocentric
