Astronomy

Front 1

Big Bang Theory

Back 1

The theory that the universe was created by energy matter that was infinitely small, dense, and hot. E=mc2 (2 meaning squared) can help represent this.

Front 2

Red Shift

Back 2

We can tell that the universe is expanding from the red shift; as the planets, stars, etc. are moving away from us their wavelength stretches to show a red color.

Front 3

Galaxy

Back 3

Stars, gas, dust, planets, and so on set together by gravity.

Front 4

Nuclear Fusion

Back 4

Hydrogen fuses to create helium, this the source of energy that the sun uses, and stars like the sun use this too.

Front 5

Milky Way

Back 5

The galaxy in which our solar system belongs to.

Front 6

Solar System

Back 6

The solar system includes our sun and the planets that orbit it, plus the moons that orbit the planets. There are other things besides these here, such as asteroids and comets.

Front 7

Light Year

Back 7

The distance that light can travel in one year.

Front 8

Planetesimal

Back 8

This is the first step to creating a planet, they are created when gas and dust collide. These collide with others of this definition to form a protoplanet and the protoplanets collide with each other to form planets.

Front 9

Prominence

Back 9

Large loops of plasma that come out of the sun, they correspond with the sun's magnetic fields.

Front 10

Solar Wind

Back 10

Charged particles that have been ejected from the sun's corona that are mostly protons and electrons.

Front 11

Solar Nebula

Back 11

A cloud of gas and dust held together by gravity, the gravity can cause it to collapse on itself and form a solar system or a star.

Front 12

Solar Flare

Back 12

When the sun releases a large amount of energy. Solar flares may damage or destroy Earth's atmosphere if they aim right on, but Earth's magnetic field helps prevent that.

Front 13

Corona

Back 13

The outer atmosphere of the Sun, you can see this if there is a solar eclipse.

Front 14

Sunspot

Back 14

A area on the sun that is cooler than the rest of the sun, it appears dark compared to the rest of the sun. This happens when the sun's magnetic field twists and caps the heat over parts of the sun.

Front 15

Supernova

Back 15

When a very massive star dies, a supernova occurs and leaves behind a neutron star.

Front 16

Photosphere

Back 16

The visible surface layer of the sun. It's name means "light sphere."

Front 17

Black Hole

Back 17

Invisible, it has such a high gravitational pull that not only light can escape this.

Front 18

Aurorae

Back 18

During a solar flare this shows as a light show in the sky, most commonly seen at the Earth's magnetic poles.

Front 19

Neutron Star

Back 19

After a Red Supergiant collapses in a supernova, this is what remains.

Front 20

Red Giant

Back 20

A star like the sun will become one of these. After it becomes this, the next step is a planetary nebula.

Front 21

Main Sequence Star

Back 21

This is the stage that stars spend most of their lives in, in a state of equilibrium.

Front 22

White Dwarf

Back 22

This is the last stage of a star like the sun. A white dwarf will continue burning with the energy it had accumulated over the years, and then it will slowly fade into nothing.