Science Language and Vocabulary

ASTRONOMY

axis of rotation

• The spinning of objects around an imaginary center line

orbit

• The path a planet or moon takes during its revolution

phases of the moon

• the different shapes of the moon during a lunar cycle

reflection

• the process of bouncing off

revolution

• the circling of an object in space around another object in space

Earth’s axis of rotation

• imaginary poles on which the Earth spins

Earth’s tilt

• 23.5° angle

asteroids

• irregular pieces of rock that move through space

celestial objects

• all of the different objects in space that make up our universe

comets

• celestial objects made up of dust, ice, and gases that orbit the sun in

a large, elliptical course

distance

• the measure of the amount of space between objects

gravitational pull

• the measurement of the pull of gravity

gravity

• the attraction of one mass to another

mass

• the amount of matter in something

meteor

• one of the small particles of matter in the solar system that is visible

when it falls into Earth’s atmosphere

planet

• a celestial object, larger than asteroids or comets, that revolves around a star without giving off its

own light

satellite

• a natural or man made object that revolves around larger objects in

space

scale

• objects compared to a standard for accurate size perception

solar system

• the system made up of the eight unique planet, and many smaller

objects that orbit the sun

stars

• celestial objects that consist of gases which generate light and

heat

sun

• the star that is the basis of the solar system and sustains life on Earth as the source of heat and

light

telescope

• an instrument that magnifies or makes distant objects appear

larger

constellation

• a pattern in the stars that has been identified and named

galaxy

• a group of millions of stars held together by gravity

light-years

• the distance light can travel in one year

Milky Way Galaxy

• a group of about 200 billion stars formed in a disk shaped spiral that

contains our solar system

speed of light

• 186,000 miles per second or 300,000 kilometers per second

universe

• the space that consists of all matter and all light and other forms of

radiation and energy