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31 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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geocentric
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a model of the universe in which Earth is at the center of the revolving planets and stars.
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heliocentric
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a model of the solar system in which Earth and the other planets revolve around the sun.
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ellipse
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the partial or total blocking of one object in space by another.
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moon
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a natural satellite that revolves around a planet.
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astronomical unit
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a unit of measurement equal to Earth's average distance from the sun, about 150 million kilometers.
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nuclear fusion
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the process by which hydrogen atoms join together in the sun's core to form helium.
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core
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the central region of the sun, where nuclear fusion takes place.
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radiation zone
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a radiation of very tightly packed gas in the sun's interior where energy is transferred mainly in the form of light.
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convection zone
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the outermost layer of the sun's interior.
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photosphere
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the inner layer of the sun's atmosphere that gives off its visible light.
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chromosphere
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the middle layer of the sun's atmosphere.
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corona
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the outer layer of the sun's atmosphere.
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solar wind
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a stream of electrically charged particles that emanate from the sun's corona.
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sunspot
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a dark area of gas on the sun's surface that is cooler than surrounding gases.
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prominence
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a huge, reddish 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 eruption of gas from the sun's surface that occurs when the loops in sunspot regions suddenly connect.
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terrestrial planets
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the name given to the four inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
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greenhouse effect
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the trapping of heat by a planet's atmosphere.
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gas giants
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the name often given to the first four outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
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ring
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a thin disk of small ice and rock particles surrounding a planet.
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comet
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a loose collection of ice, dust, and small rocky particles, typically with a long, narrow orbit.
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coma
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the fuzzy outer laywer of a comet.
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nucleus
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the solid inner core of a comet.
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Kuiper belt
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a doughnut-shaped region that stretches from beyond Neptune's orbit to about 100 times Earth's distance from the sun.
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Oort cloud
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a spherical region of comets that surrounds the solar system.
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asteroid
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rocky object revolving around the sun that are too small and numerous to be considered planets.
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asteroid belt
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the region of the solar system, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, where many asteroids are found.
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meteoroid
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a chunk of rock or dust in space.
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meteor
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a streak of light in the sky producing by the burning of a meteoroid in Earth's atmosphere.
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meteorite
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a meteoroid that passes through the atmosphere and hits Earth's surface.
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extraterrestrial life
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Life that exists other than that on Earth.
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