Astronomy Final

Front 1

Star

Back 1

a sphere of gas shining under its own power

Front 2

Light year

Back 2

the distance light travels in one year

Front 3

Nebula

Back 3

any fuzzy astronomical object; an object that is not a sharp point of light in our sky

Front 4

Earth

Back 4

Third planet from the sun; having an equatorial diameter of 7926 miles (12,755 km) and a polar diameter of 7900 miles

Front 5

North Pole

Back 5

Northern most point on earth

Front 6

South Pole

Back 6

Southern most point on earth

Front 7

Equator

Back 7

the great circle on the a sphere whose plane is perpendicular to the axis, equidistant everywhere from 2 poles of the sphere

Front 8

Latitude

Back 8

angular distance north and south of equator

Front 9

Longitude

Back 9

angular distance around earth, measure along the equator

Front 10

Sun

Back 10

the star that is the central body of the solar system

Front 11

Horizon

Back 11

boundary that divides what we can and can't see in the sky

Front 12

Celestial sphere

Back 12

imaginary sphere centered on the center of the earth to which it appears the stars are moving.

Front 13

Conceptual scheme

Back 13

a model used to explain observations

Front 14

Elevation

Back 14

the altitude of a place above sea level or ground level

Front 15

Zenith

Back 15

the point on the celestial sphere vertically above a given position or observer

Front 16

Celestial Poles

Back 16

each of the two points in which extended axis of the earth cuts the celestial sphere and the stars seem to revolve

Front 17

Celestial Equator

Back 17

the great circle of the celestial sphere, lying in the same plane as the earth's equator

Front 18

Polaris (North Star)

Back 18

a star of the second magnitude situated close to the north pole of the heavens, in the constellation Ursa Minor: the outermost star in the handle of the Little Dipper

Front 19

Circumpolar

Back 19

stars that never rise or set but just circle around a celestial pole above the horizon at all times

Front 20

Planets

Back 20

look in course m

Front 21

Ecliptic

Back 21

apparent annual path of the sun on the celestial sphere