Astronomy!

rotation

The spinning of the Earth on its axis. Causes day and night.

axis

the imaginary line that passes through Earth's center and the north and south poles

revolution

the movement of one object around another. Earth revolves around the sun, & the Moon revolves around the Earth

orbit

the path followed during revolution

equinox

neither hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the sun. Occurs in March & September, 12 equal hours of day and night

solstice

when Sun is farthest north or south of the Equator, axis is tiled toward or away from the sun. Occurs in December & June.

Sir Isaac Newton

scientist who stated the Laws of Motion

gravity

the force that attracts all objects towards each other

inertia

the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion

weight

measurement of the force of gravity of an object, this can change with location

crater

large, round pits on the moon caused by the impact of meteoroids and chunks of rock or dust from space

maria

dark flat areas on the moon formed from ancient lava flows

solar eclipse

The blocking of sunlight to Earth that occurs when the moon passes directly between the sun and the Earth

lunar eclipse

The blocking of sunlight to the moon that occurs when the Earth is directly between the sun and the moon

phase

One of the different apparent shapes of the moon as seen from Earth.

geocentric

Earth centered. Theory that Earth is the center of the universe.

heliocentric

Sun centered. Theory that the Sun is the center of the universe.

moon

A natural satellite that revolves around a planet.

terrestrial planet

The name often given to the four inner planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

gas giant

The name often given to the first four outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune

comet

A loose collection of ice, dust, and small rocky particles, typically with a long, narrow orbit of the sun

asteroid

Rocky objects revolving around the that are too numerous and small to be considered planets.

meteoroid

A chunk of rock or dust in space

meteorite

A meteoroid that passes through the atmosphere and hits Earth's surface.

meteor

A streak of light in the sky produced by the burning of a meteoroid in the atmosphere.

asteroid belt

The region of the solar system between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, where many asteroids are found.

Kuiper belt

A doughnut-shaped region that stretches from around Plauto's orbit to about times Earth's distance from the sun.

Oort cloud

a spherical region of comets that surrounds the solar system.