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Astronomy Chapter 2
Astronomy
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| constellation | a region of the sky with well defined borders |
| celestial sphere | the illusion of a sphere that encompasses the earth |
| North celestial pole | point which lies directly over the North Pole |
| South celestial pole | point which lies directly over the South Pole |
| celestial equator | projection of Earth's equator into space |
| ecliptic | path the sun follows |
| number of constellations | 88 |
| galactic plane | our galaxy's disk of stars |
| local sky | the sky as seen from where you are standing |
| horizon | boundary between Earth and sky |
| zenith | point directly overhead |
| meridian | imaginary half-circle stretching from the horizon from N to S |
| azimuth | direction of object along the horizon - measured in degrees |
| altitude | position of object from between earth and sky |
| angular size | angle that an object appears to span |
| angular distance | angle that appears to separate two objects |
| arcminutes | one degree divided by 60 |
| arcseconds | one arcminute divided by 60 |
| circumpolar | stars that never rise but make daily counterclockwise circles |
| latitude | measures N to S |
| longitude | measures E to W |
| prime meridian | line of longitude at 0 degrees - runs through Greenwich, England |
| sky visibility | sky varies with latitude |
| zodiac | constellations along the ecliptic |
| Earth's orbit | summer solstice, winter solstice, spring equinox, fall equinox |
| precession | a gradual wobble that changes the orientation of Earth's axis |
| lunar phases | new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent |
| synchronous rotation | moon must rotate once as it makes a single orbit around the Earth |
| lunar eclipse | earth's shadow falls on moon |
| solar eclipse | moon's shadow falls on earth |
| nodes | two points at which the moon crosses the surface of the earth |
| umbra | sunlight is completely blocked |
| penumbra | sunlight is partially blocked |
| total lunar eclipse | moon passes through earth's umbra - moon turns red |
| partial lunar eclipse | part of moon passes through earth's umbra |
| penumbral lunar eclipse | moon passes thought earth's penumbra |
| total solar eclipse | moon comes between sun and earth - moon looks black |
| partial solar eclipse | moon appears red in a crescent form |
| annual eclipse | a ring of sunlight surrounds the disk of the moon |
| eclipse seasons | two periods where the nodes of the moon's orbit are aligned with the sun |
| saros cycle | changing dates of eclipse seasons |
Created by:
sgw005
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