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33 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Light Year |
the distance light travels in a year, at the rate of 300,000 kilometers per second (671 million miles per hour); 1 light-year is equivalent to 9.46053e12 km, 5,880,000,000,000 miles or 63,240 AU.
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Celestial Sphere
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an imaginary sphere centered on the earth on which all of the stars are imagined to be projected.
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Celestial Equator
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the intersection of the earth's equatorial plane with the celestial sphere.
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Zenith
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a point directly overhead from an observer.
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Julian Date
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the interval of time in days and fraction of a day since 1 January 4713 BC, Greenwich noon.
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Gregorian Calendar
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The Gregorian calendar is internationally the most widely used civil calendar. It is named after Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in October 1582.
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Refracting Telescope
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a telescope that uses a converging lens to collect light.
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Reflecting Telescope
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a telescope in which a mirror is used to collect and focus light.
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Refraction
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the fact or phenomenon of light, radio waves, etc., being deflected in passing obliquely through the interface between one medium and another or through a medium of varying density.
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Reflection
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the throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it.
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Electromagnetic Spectrum
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the entire range of all the various kinds or wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, including (from short to long wavelengths) gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet, optical (visible), infrared, and radio waves.
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Right Ascension
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the amount of time that passes between the rising of Aries and another celestial object. Right ascension is one unit of measure for locating an object in the sky.
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Declination
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the angular distance of an object in the sky from the celestial equator.
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Newton
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Galileo
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Constellation
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a grouping of stars that make an imaginary picture in the sky. There are 88 constellations.
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Light Pollution
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is excessive and inappropriate artificial light.
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Astrology
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the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world.
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Zodiac Constellations
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Ecliptic
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great circle on the celestial sphere representing the sun's apparent path during the year, so called because lunar and solar eclipses can occur only when the moon crosses it.
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Astronomical Unit (AU)
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the average distance from the Earth to the Sun; 1 AU is 149,597,870 kilometers (92,960,116 miles).
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Parsec
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a large distance often used in astronomy. A parsec is equal to 3.26 light years.
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Spectroscope
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an apparatus for producing and recording spectra for examination.
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CCD
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A charge-coupled device (CCD) is a light-sensitive integrated circuit that stores and displays the data for an image in such a way that each pixel (picture element) in the image is converted into an electical charge the intensity of which is related to a color in the color spectrum.
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Heliocentric
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sun centered.
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Geocentric
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Earth centered.
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Ptolemy
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Claudius Ptolemy was a Greco-Egyptian writer, known as a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology.
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Brahe
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Tycho Brahe, born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations. He was born in the then Danish peninsula of Scania.
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Kepler
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Johannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer.
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Copernicus
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Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the universe.
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Absorption Spectrum
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a spectrum of electromagnetic radiation transmitted through a substance, showing dark lines or bands due to absorption of specific wavelengths.
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Continuous Spectrum
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an emission spectrum that consists of a continuum of wavelengths.
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Emission Spectrum
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a spectrum of the electromagnetic radiation emitted by a source.
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