Astronomy ch 1
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Created by:
crichmond-falzone on January 8, 2010
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19 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 astronomy | the study of the moon, stars, and other objects in space |
| axis | an imaginary line that passes through Earth's center and its North and South Poles |
| rotation | the spinning motion of a planet on its axis |
| revolution | the movement of an object around another object |
| orbit | the path of an object as it revolves around another object in space |
| latitude | The distance north or south from the equator; expressed in degrees |
| solstice | The two days of the year on which the noon sun is directly overhead at either 23.5 degrees South or 23.5 degrees North |
| equinox | the 2 days of the year on which neither hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the sun |
| vernal equinox | the day of the year that marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere, March 21 |
| autumnal equinox | The day of the year that marks the beginning of fall in the Northern hemisphere, Sept. 22 |
| phase | one of the different shapes of the moon as seen from Earth |
| eclipse | the partial or total blocking of one object in space by another |
| solar eclipse | the blocking of sunlight to earth that occurs when the moon is directly between the sun and earth |
| umbra | the darkest part of a shadow |
| penumbra | the part of a shadow surrounding the darkest part |
| spring tide | a tide with the greatest difference between low and high tides |
| neap tide | a tide with the least distance between high and low tides |
| lunar eclipse | occurs at a full moon when Earth is directly between the moon and the sun |
| maria | dark, flat areas on the moon's surface |
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