A | B |
gravity | An invisible force that pulls a less massive object to a more massive object |
orbit | the path of one object in space around another object |
solar system | the sun and everything that revolves around the Sun |
galaxy | a system that is made up of billions of stars, star clusters and glowing clouds of dust and gas |
universe | all of the galaxies and the space around them; everything in space |
nebula | a cloud of dust and gas within a galaxy |
Big Bang Theory | the theroy that the universe was created by a huge explosion |
trajectory | the curve that a body in space takes in orbit |
revolution | an object spinning around another object (Earth traveling around the sun) |
rotation | a planet spinning on its axis; an object spinning in isolation |
geocentric | the theory that Earth is the center of our solar system; it stated that the sun revolves around the Earth |
heliocentric | the correct theory that the sun is the center of our solar system; Earth revolves around the sun |
Ptolemy | astronomer who came up with the first theory about the universe; geocentric theory |
Copernicus | astronomer who challenged the geocentric theory; came up with the heliocentric theory |
Galileo | first astronomer to use the telescope |
lunar eclipse | an eclipse of the moon; when the moon passes into the shadow of Earth/ |
solar Eclipse | an eclipse of the aun; when the moon passes directly between our space on Earth and the sun |
gibbous | the moon phase when approximately 3/4 of the surface is reflcting the sun's light |
crescent | thin curved shape of the moon when it's at its smallest |
waning | growing smaller |