Definitions
The longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It is June 21.
What is summer solstice?
inner planets, or earth-like planets. Are closest to the sun.
outer planets that are gaseous.
What are Terrestrial Planets?
What are Jovial planets?
Groupings of stars we see as patterns in the night sky
What are constellations?
What are asteroids?
Ancient astronomers used these 4 things to help measure the passage of time
The shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It is near Dec. 21
What is the winter solstice?
the only planet where water exists in all 3 phases, solid, liquid and gas. It's atmosphere provides protection from cosmic rays and UV radiation.
What is Earth?
Unofficial constellations, ex. the big dipper
Often described as "dirty snowballs". Made up of dust and ice that travel through space. They have long tails and appear to glow when they get close to the Sun.
What are Comets?
The highest point directly overhead
What is Zenith?
Orbits of the planets were thought to be circular in motion. In fact, they actually orbit around in this pattern.
What are ellipses?
What is venus?
Where stars form. Regions of space where there are huge accumulations of gas and dust.
What are nebulae?
Small pieces of rock flying though space with no particular path. Can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a car.
What are meteroids?
A measurement to tell how high something is in the sky
What is altitude?
Copernicus suggested this model for planetary motion. In this model the sun is at the centre and the Earth revolves around it.
What is the heliocentric model?
Referred to as the red planet due to iron oxides on the planet's surface. Average temp is very cold and has two moons.
What is Mars?
The first stage in a stars formation. The attraction of gravity causes a small area of the nebula to start collpasing into a smaller, rotating cloud of gas and dust. As more material is drawn in the mass and temp at the core increases. When the core gets hot enough it glows.
What is a protostar?
When a meteoroid gets pulled into the Earth's atmosphere the heat of atmospheric friction causes it to give off light. Also called 'shooting stars'
What is a Meteor?
The angle between the most northernly point of the horizon and the point dirctly below a celestial body. The horizontal angle or direction of a compass bearing
What is Azimuth?
Aristotle proposed this model to explain planetary motion. It means earth centered.
A gas giant. Jovian planet. Has an unusual rotation making it appear to roll during orbit. Composed of mainly hydrogen and helium. Methane gives the planet a distinct blue color. Has a large ring system and 17 moons.
What is Uranus?
When the core reaches 10 000 000C the hydrogen changes to helium. During this process it releases great quantities of energy and radiation. The star is born.
What is fusion?
When a meteor lasts long enough to hit earth's surface
What is a meteorite?
Unit for measuring local distances inside our solar system. Used when describing positions of the planets relative to the sun.
The distance light travels in one year.
What is AU astronomical unit?
What is light-year?