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44 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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astronomy
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the study of the moon, starts, and other objects in space
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autumnal equinox
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the day of the year that marks the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere
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axis
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an imaginary line that passes through Earth's center and the North and South Poles, about which the Earth rotates
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equinox
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the two days of the year on which neither hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the sun
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latitude
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a measurement of distance form the equator, expressed in degrees of north or south
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orbit
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the path of an object as it revolves around another object in space
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revolution
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the movement of an object around another object
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rotation
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the spinning motion of a planet about its axis
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solstice
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the two days of the year on which the noon sun is directly overhead at either 23.5 South or 23.5 North
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vernal equinox
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the day of the year that marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere
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big bang
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the initial explosion that resulted in the formation and expansion of the universe
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ellipse
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the partial or total blocking of one object by another
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geocentric
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a description of the solar system in which all of the planets revolve around Earth
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heliocentric
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a description of the solar system in which all of the planets revolve around the Sun
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inertia
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the tendency of a moving object to continue in a straight line or a stationary object to remain in place
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crater
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a round pit on the moon's surface
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maria
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dark, flat regions on the moon's surface
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telescope
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a device built to study distant objects by making them appear closer
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eclipse
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the partial or total blocking of one object by another
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gravity
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the attractive force between two objects; it's magnitude depends on their masses and the distance between them
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lunar eclipse
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the blocking of sunlight to the moon that occurs when Earth is directly between the sun and moon
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penumbra
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the part of a shadow surrounding the darkest part
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phase
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one of the different shapes of the moon as seen from Earth
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spring tide
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a tide with the greatest difference between the low and high tides
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solar eclipse
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the blocking of sunlight to Earth that occurs when the moon is between the sun & Earth
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tide
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the rise and fall of the level of water in the ocean
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umbra
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the darkest part of a shadow
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black hole
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the remains of an extremely massive star pulled into a small volume by the force of gravity
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nebula
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a large amount of gas and dust in space, spread out in an immense volume
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neutron star
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a tiny star that remains after a supernova explosion
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protostar
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a contracting cloud of gas and dust; the earliest stage of a star's life
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pulsar
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a neutron star that produces radio waves
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quasar
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a distant galaxy with a black hole at its center
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supernova
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the explosion of a dying giant or supergiant star
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white dwarf
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the remaining hot core of a star after its outer layers have expanded and drifted out into space
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chromosphere
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the middle layer of the sun's atmosphere
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core
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the central part of the sun, where nuclear fusion occurs
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corona
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the outer layer of the sun's atmosphere
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nuclear fusion
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the process by which hydrogen atoms join together to form helium, releasing energy
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photosphere
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the inner layer of the sun's atmosphere
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prominence
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a loop of gas that protrudes from the sun's surface, linking parts of sunspot regions
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solar flare
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an explosion of hydrogen gas from the sun's surface that occurs when loops in sunspot regions
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solar wind
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a stream of electrically charged particles produced by the sun's corona
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sunspot
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a dark area of gas on the Sun that is cooler than surrounding gases
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