Download Solar System Vocabulary

Solar System Vocabulary:
Term:
Astronomy
Definition:
The study of objects in our solar system and
beyond
Astronomer
A person who studies the solar system or space
Astrolabe
An instrument that gives your position based on
measuring the position of the sun and stars
Compass
An instrument containing a magnetized pointer
that shows the direction of magnetic north
Telescope
An instrument designed to make distant objects
appear closer
Sextant
An instrument used to measure the angle
between any two visible objects, usually a
celestial object (star, sun, moon, etc) and the
horizon
Solar System
Made up of the sun and ALL the objects that orbit
it (includes planets, moons, asteroids, dust, and
gas)
Rotation
The act of spinning
 Earth takes 24 hours to make a rotation
 Earth’s rotation causes day and night
When one object travels around another object
 Earth takes 365 ¼ days to make a
revolution
 Revolution + the tilt of the Earth =
seasons
The path a revolving object takes
 Earth’s orbit is shaped like an ellipse
A ball of exploding gases that gives off warmth
and light
Is a large object that:
1. Orbit the sun
2. Orbit alone
3. Is big enough for gravity to shape into a
sphere
Revolution
Orbit
Star
Planet
Axis
A real or fake line that an object spins around
Moon
Earth’s natural satellite (only ever see one side of
the moon, called the near side)
Any object that revolves around another object in
space
Energy from the sun that has been stored in living
organisms that died long ago (Examples: coal, oil,
and natural gas)
Satellite
Fossil Fuels
Rotation vs. Revolution
Rotation:
*Earth spins (rotates) on its axis
*Takes 24 hours to make one rotation
*Earth’s rotation causes day and night
Revolution:
*Earth revolves on an orbit around the sun
*Takes 365 ¼ days
*The Earth’s tilt and its revolution cause
SEASONS
SUN
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Position:
o Is the closest star to the Earth
o Center of the solar system- heliocentric (“helio”- sun, “centric”- center, Latin)
Size:
o average sized star
o Could hold more than a million Earths
Surface: Burning Gas
Core: Hottest part of the Sun
o 27,000,000 F
Source of almost all energy on Earth
o Produces and gives off heat and light
o Plants take the Sun’s energy and turn it into food
o Sunlight is the beginning of most food chains
o Affects weather, ocean currents, and wind
EARTH
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Position:
o 3rd planet from the sun
Atmosphere:
o Mixture of gases (20% Oxygen)
o 5 layers
 Troposphere (1st layer)- weather occurs here
 Stratosphere (2nd layer)- where planes fly, Ozone Layer is located here
o Protects Earth from meteoroids, getting too hot or too cold
Surface:
o Rocky surface with water
o 70% water
o Landforms:
Moons: 1
Rotation vs. Revolution:
o Rotation:
 To make 1 rotation, it takes 1 day or 24 hours
 Causes day and night
 Earth rotates from west to east
 The Earth rotates at a speed of 1070 miles/hour
o Revolution:
 To make 1 revolution, it takes 1 year or 365 ¼ days
 The extra ¼ day is why we have leap year every four years
o Revolution and Tilt:
 Causes the Earth to have seasons
 Opposite hemispheres have opposite seasons
 Tilt causes the number of hours of daylight to change throughout the year
 Summer Solstice- most hours of daylight
 Winter Solstice- most hours of darkness
 As Earth revolves, different parts of Earth get more sunlight.
 Tilt causes the northern or southern hemisphere to lean towards the sun
Moon Named Luna
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Position:
o Closest neighbor to Earth
o 240,000 miles
o Revolves around the Earth
Atmosphere:
o NO Atmosphere, so
 Gets Hit by meteoroids that cause craters
Surface:
o Rocky surface
o Has a few tall mountains
o Has flat plains (called mare)
o Covered with craters
o Almost NO water
o Landforms are created by:
 Comets, meteors/meteoroids
 Volcanic activity
Size:
o ¼ of the Earth
o Big compared to moons of other planets
Rotation and Revolution:
o 27 days
o People ALWAYS see the same side of the moon
o The side of the moon we see is called the near side
Moon Phases
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Because of the positions of the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth, the Moon appears to change
shape
The Moon Cycle take about 29 to 30 days
The amount of light reflected from the Moon that is seen from Earth determines the phase
Waxing- to increase or grow
Waning- to get smaller
Gibbous- Latin for hump or humpback
PHASES of the MOON:
1. New Moon- the entire side of the Moon facing Earth is dark
2. Waxing Crescent- a small section (less than a quarter moon) of the side of the Moon facing
Earth is lighted. It is a Waxing Crescent because it is growing towards the full moon. The
crescent will grow larger each day.
3. First Quarter Moon- the half of the side of the Moon facing Earth is lighted and the other half is
dark. The Moon appears as a half circle. It is called the First Quarter Moon because the Moon is
one quarter of the way through its orbit.
4. Waxing Gibbous- the moon is more than half lit, but not yet full. It is a Waxing Gibbous because
the moon is growing towards the full moon.
5. Full Moon- the entire side of the Moon facing the Earth is lit. The Moon appears as a full circle.
6. Waning Gibbous- the moon is lit slightly less than a full moon. The Moon is moving towards a
new moon and the part we can see is getting smaller each day.
7. Last (Third) Quarter Moon- the Moon is half-lit. It is called the Last Quarter or Third Quarter
Moon because the Moon has gone through three-quarters of its orbit around the Earth.
8. Waning Crescent- a small section of the side of the Moon facing Earth is lighted. This section
gets smaller and smaller each day.
Craters:
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Impact Craters
o Have rays
o Size of crater depends on size and speed of the object that hits the surface
 Impact Craters on the Moon: Copernicus and Tycho
 Impact Craters on Earth: Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona and Wolf Creek in
Australia
Tides:
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The moon and Earth pull on each other; this pull is gravity.
The moon’s pull on Earth makes the surface level of the ocean rise and fall; this change in level is
called TIDES.
HIGH TIDE is when the ocean water level is the highest; there are TWO (2) HIGH TIDES each day.
Low tide occurs between high tides.
Constellations:
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Constellations are groups of stars that form imaginary pictures.
Constellations appear to be moving because of the Earth’s rotation.
Constellations appear to CHANGE throughout the seasons because of revolution.
Ancient people used stars, sun, and the moon to tell time and location.
Shadows:
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A shadow forms when light is blocked
Your shadow ALWAYS points away from the sun
As the position of the sun changes, so does your shadow
Shortest shadows are at noon
Seasons:
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Seasons occur because of the Earth’s tilt AND revolution.
Because of the tilt, the number of daylight hours changes throughout the year.
The tilt also causes the northern or the southern hemisphere of the Earth, to point toward the
sun.
o When the tilt is towards the sun, the season is summer; when the tilt is away from the
sun the season is winter.
o The two hemispheres have OPPOSITE seasons.
Autumn (fall) and spring occur when neither hemisphere of the Earth is pointed directly toward
or away from the sun.