Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
universe
|
the whole body of things and phenomena observed or postulated
|
|
galaxy
|
any of the very large groups of stars and associated matter that are found throughout the universe
|
|
milkyway
|
galaxy in which we live in
|
|
lightyear
|
a unit of length in astronomy equal to the distance that light travels in one year in a vacuum or about 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers)
|
|
Edwin Hubble
|
man who discovered that the universe is expanding
|
|
red shift
|
colour shift in which stars grow further apart
|
|
nebula
|
any of numerous clouds of gas or dust in interstellar space
|
|
supernova
|
the explosion of a very large star in which the star may reach a maximum intrinsic luminosity one billion times that of the sun
|
|
electromagnetic spectrum
|
the entire range of wavelengths or frequencies of electromagnetic radiation extending from gamma rays to the longest radio waves and including visible light
|
|
equinox
|
either of the two times each year (as about March 21 and September 23) when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are everywhere of equal length
|
|
waning
|
to diminish in phase or intensity -- used chiefly of the moon
|
|
waxing
|
to increase in phase or intensity -- used chiefly of the moon, other satellites, and inferior planets
|
|
rotation
|
act of making one complete turn
|
|
revolution
|
the time taken by a celestial body to make a complete round in its orbit
|
|
meteor
|
any of the small particles of matter in the solar system that are directly observable only by their incandescence from frictional heating on entry into the atmosphere
|
|
Asteroid belt
|
the region of interplanetary space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in which most asteroids are found
|
|
Tide
|
the alternate rising and falling of the surface of the ocean and of water bodies (as gulfs and bays) connected with the ocean that occurs usually twice a day and is caused by the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon occurring unequally on different parts of the earth
|
|
Eclipse
|
the passing into the shadow of a celestial body
|
|
Solstice
|
either of the two points on the ecliptic at which its distance from the celestial equator is greatest and which is reached by the sun each year about June 22d and December 22d
|
|
Comet
|
a celestial body that consists of a fuzzy head usually surrounding a bright nucleus, that has a usually highly eccentric orbit, and that often when in the part of its orbit near the sun develops a long tail which points away from the sun
|