Terms
Belief that the universe formed gradually over billions of years
What is a star system containing millions to billions of stars, as well as gas and dust?
Galaxy
The distance light travels in one year
Light Year
A scientist who studies science based on God as Creator is a __________ scientist.
Creation
A scientist who believes that the universe slowly evolved over billions of years
Evolutionary scientist
Object that orbits another object
Satellite
Asteroid belt
The study of God's creation beyond our atmosphere
Astronomy
What galaxy includes our sun and planets?
Milky Way Galaxy
The center of a star, planet, or other celestial object
Core
An evolutionary hypothesis about the origin of the world is the ____ ______.
Big Bang
Spherical celestial body that has its own orbital path around a star
Planet
Flight and space agency for the United States government
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
Zone of the celestial sphere occupied by a star picture
Constellation
A set of beliefs that shape what someone believes to be true
Worldview
What is the attracting force between two objects?
Gravity
The sun, the eight planets, and the other celestial bodies that orbit the sun
Solar system
The visible part of the sun is the _______________.
Photosphere
Smaller celestial body than an actual planet that shares the orbit of other celestial bodies
Dwarf planet
Private spacecraft manufacturing and space transportation company founded by Elon Musk
SpaceX
Object in space made of ice and dust, having three main parts - Nucleus, coma, and tail
Comet
The Biblical principle that the all-powerful and all-wise God spoke the universe into being out of nothing
Special creation
What is the oval-shaped orbit of a planet around the sun called?
Ellipse
Object in space made of solid, dense rock or metal that orbits the sun
Asteroid
The sun's atmosphere is called the ___________.
Corona
Time during June and December when the sun is between the two equinoxes
Solstice
Satellite in which astronauts from different countries live and work together
International Space Station (ISS)
Moon's cycle in which its appearance changes as it waxes to a full moon and wanes to a new moon
Lunar cycle
The galaxy cluster to which the Milky Way belongs
Local Group
What are the inner planets?
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
A small piece of rock or metal in space
Meteoroid
Classification of star brightness dependent on the star's brightness and distance from earth is ______________ magnitude.
Apparent
Time during March and September when both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres experience equal amounts of daytime and nighttime; occurs when the sun is directly above the earth's equator
Equinox
Telescope that orbits the earth, taking pictures
Imaginary line through the center of a planet upon which it rotates
Axis
Large cloud of gas and dust floating in space
Nebula
What are the outer planets?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Geocentric and heliocentric
Earth-centered and sun-centered
Classification of star brightness dependent on surface temperature and size is ________________ magnitude.
Absolute
Earth's position in the solar system where it is not too close or too far away from the sun for liquid water to exist
Habitable zone
Largest and most powerful telescope ever made; orbits the sun, taking pictures
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
Planet orbiting a star not in our solar system
Exoplanet