| A | B |
|---|
| astronomy | the study of the moon, stars and other objects in space |
| rotation | the spinning motion of a planet about its axis |
| axis | an imaginary line that passes through Earth's center and the North and South poles, about which Earth rotates |
| revolution | the movement of one object around another object |
| orbit | one complete revolution around the sun |
| oval | shape of an orbit |
| Earth year | 365 and 1/4 of a day |
| new moon | another name for a dark moon |
| tilted | seasons are because the Earth's axis is ***** as it moves around the sun |
| solstices | Shorterst and longest days of light in late June and December |
| equinoxes | Equal days of light and dark in late March and late September |
| latitude | a measurement of distance from the equator, expressed in degrees north or south |
| vernal equinox | occurs in the spring |
| autumnal equinox | occurs in the fall |
| phases | the different shapes of the moon you see from Earth |
| 27.3 days | the amount of time that the moon revolves around its own axis |
| waxing | moon becoming brighter and fuller |
| waning | moon becoming dimmer and less lit |
| gibbous | egg shaped - greater than half of the moon is lit |
| crescent | less than 1/2 of the moon is lit |
| quarter moon | when 1/2 of the visible moon is lit |
| full moon | when the whole visible moon is lit |
