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21 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
the point nearest to the sun in the orbit of a planet or comet
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perihelion
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the occasional apparent backward movement of the superior planets from east to west
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retrograde motion
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a planet whose orbit is outside the earth's orbit
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superior planet
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one of the nine most massive bodies orbiting the sun
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planet
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the point at which light rays come together after being bent by a lens or curved mirror; one or two points used in drawing an ellipse
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focus (plural, foci)
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the dark region of separation in the ring system of Saturn
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Cassini's division
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the mass of an object per volume
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density
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the average distance between the earth and the sun (150 million km or 93 million mi)
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A.U. (astronomical unit)
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the point furthest from the sun in the orbit of a planet or comet
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aphelion
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the ability of an object such as a planet or minor planet to reflect light
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albedo
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the downward pull of an astronomical body on objects located at its surface
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surface gravity
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a measure of the amount of material an object contains, irrespective of gravity
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mass
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the eclipsing of a heavenly body by the moon or by another planet
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occult
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the passage of an inferior planet across the sun's disk, or the passage of a star across the meridian
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transit
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planets that are the earth's size or smaller and about the same density of the earth
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terrestrial planets
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Jupiter's four largest moons, named after their discoverer
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Galilean moons
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a planet whose orbit is inside the earth's orbit
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inferior planet
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a reddish colored, oval-shaped area on Jupiter, possibly due to an atmospheric disturbance or storm
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Great Red Spot
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one of the four large outer planets
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Jovian planet
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the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, which have large gaseous atmospheres
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gas giants
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an oval-shaped figure having both ends alike; the characteristic shape of the orbits of planets, satellites, and periodic comets
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ellipse
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