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Unit 2 Vocab

Vocab

Term	Definition
Astronomy	the branch of science that deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole.
Geocentric	having or representing the earth as the center, as in former astronomical systems.
Heliocentric	having or representing the sun as the center, as in the accepted astronomical model of the solar system.
Ellipse	a regular oval shape, traced by a point moving in a plane so that the sum of its distances from two other points (the foci) is constant, or resulting when a cone is cut by an oblique plane that does not intersect the base
Astronomical Unit (AU)	a unit of measurement equal to 149.6 million kilometers, the mean distance from the center of the earth to the center of the sun.
Rotation	the action of rotating around an axis or center.
Revolution	a forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system.
Perihelion	the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is closest to the sun.
Aphelion	the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is furthest from the sun.
Phases of the moon	The lunar phase or phase of the moon is the shape of the illuminated (sunlit) portion of the Moon as seen by an observer on Earth. The lunar phases change cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing positions of the Moon and Sun rel
Solar eclipse	an eclipse in which the sun is obscured by the moon.
Lunar eclipse	an eclipse in which the moon appears darkened as it passes into the earth's shadow
Terrestrial Planet	A terrestrial planet, telluric planet or rocky planet is a planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals. Within the Solar System, the terrestrial planets are the inner planets closest to the Sun, i.e. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
Jovian planet	The word terrestrial comes from the Latin word terra that means land. On the other end of the spectrum are the gas giant planets including Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. These planets are called the Jovian planets.
Astroid	a small rocky body orbiting the sun. Large numbers of these, ranging in size from nearly 600 miles across to dust particles, are found especially between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, though some have more eccentric orbits, and a few pass close to the e
Comet	a celestial object consisting of a nucleus of ice and dust and, when near the sun, a “tail” of gas and dust particles pointing away from the sun.
Meteoroid	a small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it entered the earth's atmosphere.
Meteor	a small body of matter from outer space that enters the earth's atmosphere, becoming incandescent as a result of friction and appearing as a streak of light
Meteorite	a meteor that survives its passage through the earth's atmosphere such that part of it strikes the ground. More than 90 percent of meteorites are of rock, while the remainder consist wholly or partly of iron and nickel.
Electromagnetic spectrum	the range of wavelengths or frequencies over which electromagnetic radiation extends
Photon	a particle representing a quantum of light or other electromagnetic radiation. A photon carries energy proportional to the radiation frequency but has zero rest mass.
Doppler Effect	an increase (or decrease) in the frequency of sound, light, or other waves as the source and observer move toward (or away from) each other. The effect causes the sudden change in pitch noticeable in a passing siren, as well as the redshift seen by astron
Refracting Telescope	a telescope that uses a converging lens to collect light.
Reflecting Telescope	a telescope in which a mirror is used to collect and focus light.
Hubble Telescope	The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990, and remains in operation. With a 2.4-meter mirror, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared spectra.
Space shuttle	a rocket-launched spacecraft, able to land like an unpowered aircraft, used to make repeated journeys between the earth and earth orbit.
Radio Telescope	an instrument used to detect radio emissions from the sky, whether from natural celestial objects or from artificial satellites.

Created by: Emmitt Steigerwalt

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