Astronomy Chapters 1-3

Front 1

Field of View

Back 1

the region you can see in an image.

Front 2

Scientific Notation

Back 2

380,000 = 3.8*10^5

Front 3

Solar System

Back 3

a star, its family of planets, and other smaller bodies.

Front 4

Planets

Back 4

small, spherical, nonluminous bodies that orbit a star, and shine by reflected light.

Front 5

Star

Back 5

a self-luminous ball of hot gas that generates its own energy

Front 6

Astronomical Unit (AU)

Back 6

unit of distance - The average distance from Earth to the sun. 1.5*10^8

Front 7

Light-Year

Back 7

the distance that light travels in the span of one year. 10^13KM or 63,000 AU

Front 8

Galaxy

Back 8

a great cloud of stars, gas, and dust held together by the combined gravity of all of its matter

Front 9

Milky Way Galaxy

Back 9

the name for our galaxy

Front 10

Spiral Arms

Back 10

the bands on the outer regions of galaxies, where stars are formed

Front 11

Constellations

Back 11

groups of stars

Front 12

Asterisms

Back 12

less formally defined groupings of stars

Front 13

Magnitude Scale

Back 13

a system for measuring the brightness of a star

Front 14

Apparent Visual Magnitude

Back 14

mV - unit of measurement for magnitude scale

Front 15

Flux

Back 15

a measure of light energy from a star that hits one square meter in one second

Front 16

Scientific Model

Back 16

a visual aid used to illustrate a phenomena or theory

Front 17

Precession

Back 17

the angle of the earth changes over time, like a top

Front 18

Celestial Sphere

Back 18

the region of space you can see from any point on earth

Front 19

Horizon

Back 19

line that marks the farthest point you can see on the earth in all directions

Front 20

Zenith

Back 20

top of the sky, directly above the viewer's head

Front 21

Nadir

Back 21

bottom of the sky, directly under the viewer's feet

Front 22

North and South Celestial Poles

Back 22

Earth's pivot points, directly above and below the North and South poles

Front 23

Celestial Equator

Back 23

directly between the celestial poles

Front 24

Angular Distance

Back 24

a measure of angle, by degrees

Front 25

Arc Minute

Back 25

1/60th of a degree

Front 26

Arc Second

Back 26

1/60th of a minute of arc

Front 27

Angular Diameter

Back 27

the angular distance from one edge of an object to another

Front 28

Circumpolar Constellations

Back 28

constellations that never rise or set in the sky

Front 29

Rotation

Back 29

the turning of a body on its own axis

Front 30

Revolution

Back 30

the motion of a body around a point outside of that body

Front 31

Ecliptic

Back 31

the apparent path of the sun against the background of stars

Front 32

Vernal Equinox / Summer Solstice

Back 32

Spring / Summer - when the sun crosses its farthest northern point in the sky

Front 33

Autumnal Equinox / Winter Solstice

Back 33

Fall / Winter - when the sun crosses its farthest southern point in the sky

Front 34

Evening Star

Back 34

any planet visible in the evening sky

Front 35

Morning Star

Back 35

any planet visible in the morning sky

Front 36

Zodiac

Back 36

band around the sky extending 9 degrees above and below the ecliptic

Front 37

Horoscope

Back 37

a diagram showing the location of the sun, moon, and planets around the ecliptic and their position above or below the horizon for a given date and time

Front 38

Milankovitch Hypothesis

Back 38

small changes in the Earth's orbit, precession, and inclination affect the Earth's climate

Front 39

Scientific Argument

Back 39

a careful presentation of theory and evidence in a logical discussion

Front 40

Lunar Eclipse

Back 40

when a full moon crosses through the Earth's shadow

Front 41

Umbra

Back 41

the region of a lunar eclipse of total shadow

Front 42

Penumbra

Back 42

the region of a lunar eclipse of partial shadow

Front 43

Solar Eclipse

Back 43

when the moon moves between the Earth and the sun

Front 44

Umbra

Back 44

the region of a lunar eclipse of total shadow

Front 45

Penumbra

Back 45

the region of a lunar eclipse of partial shadow

Front 46

Solar Eclipse

Back 46

when the moon moves between the Earth and the sun