 | Term | Definition |
| |
solstice |
a point in the earths orbit around the sun where daylight is either the lingest or shortest amount possible |
| |
equinox |
the point in orbit where day and night are equal in length |
| |
Lunar eclipse |
darkening of the moon when it passes through the earth's shadow |
| |
tides |
the rise and fall of water in the ocean and seas caused mainly by the gravitational pull of the moon |
| |
fusion |
the combining of less massive objects to form more massive objects |
| |
corona |
crown of glowing gasses around the sun that can be seen during a total solar eclipse |
| |
solar eclipse |
an alignment of the sun moon and earth where the moon blocks the sun |
| |
sun spot |
a region on the sun of very stron magnetic field |
| |
solar flare |
powerful eruption on the sun |
| |
aurora |
the glow or display of lights in the skies near the polar lattitudes |
| |
galaxy |
system of billions of stars, gases and dust |
| |
quasar |
brilliant objects in space that may be the powerhouses of developing galaxies |
| |
nebula |
a cloud of gas and dust in space |
| |
red giant |
a star that has swelled and glows with a red color |
| |
supernova |
the explosion of a star releasing huge amounts of light and other energy |
| |
black hole |
an invisible object in space whose mass and gravitiational force is so great tht not even light can escape |
| |
big bang theory |
the idea that the universe started as a huge explosion about 15 billion years ago |
| |
red shift |
the change of light waves from retreating objects to the red end of the spectrum |
