Space Vocab

Question 1

Orbit

Answer 1

looks at the orbits of the moon, Earth, and satellites, revealing how gravity affects different orbits.

Question 2

Solar system

Answer 2

Explores the formation of the solar system which occurred 4.5 billion years ago within a nebula at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy…

Question 3

Galaxy

Answer 3

the term “galaxy” and reveals the importance of gravity to a galaxy. The segment also looks at the three…

Question 4

Universe

Answer 4

Discusses the planets, stars, galaxies, and all forms of matter and energy that make up the universe. The segment also introduces the…

Question 5

Satellite

Answer 5

Satellites, artifical objects that orbit Earth, are called “eyes in the sky” because they can relay information that would be difficult to get in other ways.

Question 6

Impact carator

Answer 6

Reveals how meteorites create impact craters on the surfaces of planets and moons. Volcanoes and hydrothermal activity can…

Question 7

Axis of rotation

Answer 7

Explores the unique rotations of the planets in our solar system.

Question 8

Revolution

Answer 8

Assesses the orbits of the planets around the sun and the moon around the earth.

Question 9

Season

Answer 9

dentifies the changing of the seasons, and the creation of the solstices and equinoxes, as a result of the earth tilting along its axis.

Question 10

Equinox

Answer 10

Analyzes the tilt of the earth during the spring and autumnal equinox and the summer and winter solstice.

Question 11

Solstice

Answer 11

the change in the length of days throughout the year. The segment defines such terms as summer solstice, winter solstice, autumn equinox, and spring

Question 12

Mare

Answer 12

Mare Orientale is one of the youngest large basins on the Moon. Three mountain rings surround the inner basin, which is flooded…

Question 13

Eclipse

Answer 13

When sunlight falls on objects, they cast a shadow. Did you know that the Earth and Moon also cast shadows? These shadows cause eclipses. Let’s find out more about eclipses and how they look when seen from Earth.

Question 14

Umbra

Answer 14

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon casts a shadow on Earth. The umbra is the darkest part of the shadow. Observers located within the umbra experience a total solar eclipse, while observers located within the penumbra

Question 15

Penumbra

Answer 15

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon casts a shadow on Earth. The umbra is the darkest part of the shadow. Observers located within the umbra experience a total solar eclipse, while observers located within the penumbra

Question 16

Astronomical

Answer 16

A United States astronomer has used images from the Hubble Space Telescope to discover a previously unobserved moon orbiting Neptune.

Question 17

Ellipse

Answer 17

Introduces the term “ellipse” and discusses how Johannes Kepler discovered that the shape of a planet’s orbit is an el

Question 18

Terrestrial planet

Answer 18

This is a look at the inner, or terrestrial, planets in our solar system. These include Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.

Question 19

Gas giant

Answer 19

Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn are considered giant gas planets, as their make up mostly consists of gases.

Question 20

Asteroid

Answer 20

Defines the term “asteroid” and examines the difference between asteroids and planets. The segment also analyzes the inner and outer

Question 21

Comet

Answer 21

Comets sometimes stray out of their own orbits and travel within the orbits of planets.

Question 22

Meteor

Answer 22

Meteorites strike the Earth monthly. Each brings clues about the creation of our solar system.

Question 23

Meteorite

Answer 23

When a meteoroid moving away from the asteroid belt hits Earth’s surface, it is called a meteorite. Due to the tremendous impact, a crater is formed on Earth’s surface where the meteorites strike.

Question 24

Geocentric

Answer 24

having the Earth as the center

Question 25

Heliocentric

Answer 25

Heliocentric comes from the Greek word “helios”, meaning Sun. The Sun is the center of the solar system. All the planets in the solar system orbit around the Sun.

Question 26

Gravity

Answer 26

the force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass. For most purposes Newton’s laws of gravity apply, with minor modifications to take the general theory of relativity into account.

Question 27

Tide

Answer 27

The definition of tide is the cycle of rising and falling of the surface of bodies of water caused by the attraction of the moon and the sun. An example of the tide is when the ocean’s water is at its highest point on the beach.

Question 28

Waxing

Answer 28

cover or treat (something) with wax or a similar substance, typically to polish or protect it.

Question 29

Wanin

Answer 29

1. the moon at any time after full moon and before new moon (so called because its illuminated area is decreasing). … Also called old moon. Compare waxing moon. Origin of waning moon Expand.

Question 30

Gibbous moon

Answer 30

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. When the moon is more than half full, this is an example of a gibbous moon.

Question 31

Crescent moon

Answer 31

The definition of a crescent is a half-moon or arc shape. A curved French croissant is an example of something that is in the shape of a crescent. A curved moon is an example of a crescent shape.

Question 32

Full moon

Answer 32

A full moon is the lunar phase that occurs when the Moon is completely illuminated as seen from Earth. This occurs when Earth is located directly between the Sun and the Moon (more exactly, when the ecliptic longitudes of the Sun and Moon differ by 180 degrees).

Question 33

New moon

Answer 33

The phase of the Moon that occurs when it passes between Earth and the Sun, making it either invisible or visible only as a thin crescent at sunset. See more at moon. Compare full moon. The American Heritage® Science Dictionary.

Question 34

Quarter moon

Answer 34

• A quarter moon occurs when we see the Moon half illuminated by the Sun, and half enshrouded in … When we see the first quarter of the Moon, that means the amount of the Moon