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astronomy unit - science
couple of vocabulary words from our unit
59
Astronomy
9th Grade
12/03/2009

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Term
solar eclipse
Definition
passing of the moon between the earth and sun during which the shadow of the moon falls on the earth.
Term
lunar eclipse
Definition
passing of the earth between the moon and the sun during which the earth's shadow crosses the lighted half of the moon.
Term
earthshine
Definition
sunlight reflected off the surface of the earth
Term
solar year
Definition
time required for orbit (365.24)
Term
month
Definition
time it takes for the moon to go through 1 full cycle
Term
day
Definition
time it takes for rotation
Term
phase order of the moon
Definition
new moon, waxing crescent, 1st quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent, new moon
Term
maria
Definition
dark areas of the moon that reflect little light
Term
rilles
Definition
deep channels running through maria
Term
craters
Definition
bowl-shaped depressions caused by meteors
Term
rays
Definition
lines of displaced material extending radially outward from the impact site
Term
regolith
Definition
layer of rock and dust covering the moon
Term
anorthosites
Definition
light-covered, coarse-grained rocks from highlands (mostly calcium and aluminum)
Term
breccia
Definition
fragments of rock melted together
Term
inner planets
Definition
mercury, venus, earth, and mars... mostly made of solid rock with a hard crust... no rings and 0-2 moons
Term
outer planets
Definition
jupiter, saturn, uranus, neptune... mostly gas, many rings and moons
Term
meteoroid
Definition
small bit of rock moving through the solar system
Term
meteorite
Definition
meteoroid left after it hits the earth's surface
Term
asteroid
Definition
fragment of rock that orbits the sun
Term
comet
Definition
rock/dust/methane/ammonia/ice orbiting the sun in elliptical orbits
Term
asteroid belt
Definition
most asteroids located here between the orbits of mars and jupiter
Term
oort cloud
Definition
birthplace of trillions of comets
Term
nebular theory
Definition
by marquis simon de laplace which hypothesized that our whole solar system came from one exploded nebula... after the nebula exploded the sun created at its center and planetesimals collided to form protoplanets which collided to create our planets
Term
earth's beginning
Definition
started as a giant ball of hot lava b/c pressure, collisions, and radioactive materials. Later it turns into layers and the crust cools.
Term
copernicus's theory
Definition
heliocentric (sun center)
Term
aristotle's theory
Definition
geocentric (earth center)
Term
epicycle
Definition
small circular motion of the planets within their orbits proposed as an explanation for retrograde motion by claudius ptolemy
Term
law of ellipses
Definition
each planet orbits in the same path around a focus (the sun)
Term
law of equal areas
Definition
describes the speed at which planets travel at different points in their orbits
Term
law of periods
Definition
describes the relationship between the average distance of a planet from the sun and the orbit period
Term
astronomical unit
Definition
time it takes to get from the earth to the sun
Term
cassin
Definition
space probe
Term
composition
Definition
the way in which something is made
Term
phabos and deimos
Definition
moons of mars
Term
galilean moon
Definition
the 4 largest satellites of jupiter
Term
galileo galilei
Definition
italian scientist able to observe planets motions
Term
interplanetary
Definition
existing or occuring between planets
Term
kelvin
Definition
equivalent to one degree celsius
Term
kuiper belt
Definition
a zone populated by thousands of objects
Term
orbit
Definition
path that an object follows around a larger object
Term
retrograde
Definition
moving in an orbit opposite the earth's orbit around the sun
Term
ringlets
Definition
small rings mode of dust, rock, and ice
Term
rings
Definition
made up of ringlets
Term
roche limit
Definition
closest a moon can come to a planet
Term
satellite
Definition
object in orbit around a body with a larger mass
Term
apogee
Definition
point in the orbit of a planet at which the planet is farthest from the sun
Term
perigee
Definition
point in the orbit of a planet in which it is closest to the sun
Term
eclipse
Definition
passing of one planetary body through the shadow of another
Term
umbra
Definition
inner, cone-shaped part of the shadow cast by the earth or the moon in which sunlight is completely blocked
Term
penumbra
Definition
outer part of the shadow cast by the earth or the moon in which sunlight is only partially blocked.
Term
waxing
Definition
describing the phases of the moon during which the size of its visible portion is increasing
Term
waning
Definition
describing the phase of the moon during which the size of its visible portion is decreasing
Term
tides
Definition
caused by the gravitational pull of the moon that causes water levels to rise and fall
Term
axis
Definition
imaginary line running through the planet from pole to pole
Term
orbit period
Definition
how long it takes for a planetesimal to get around the sun
Term
planetesimal
Definition
any large body of rock that orbits the sun
Term
ellipse
Definition
oval whose shape is determined by two points within the figure (like an orbit)
Term
focus
Definition
1 or 2 points within an ellipse that determines the shape of the orbit
Term
kepler's laws
Definition
law of equal areas, law of ellipses, law of periods
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