Earth and Space Science S6E1 Vocabulary

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Solar System

Back

A group of planets, moons, and other space objects that orbit the Sun.

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Milky Way Galaxy

Back

A huge group of stars, including our solar system, shaped like a spiral.

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Galaxy

Back

A giant collection of stars, planets, and other space objects held together by gravity. Galaxies come in different shapes, like spirals or blobs.

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Universe

Back

Everything that exists—space, stars, planets, and galaxies—it's vast and continues to expand.

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Orion Arm (or Orion Spur)

Back

The part of the Milky Way galaxy where our solar system is located.

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Spiral Galaxy

Back

A galaxy shaped like a spinning disk with arms. The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy.

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Galactic Core

Back

The very middle of a galaxy, where there are many stars and sometimes a huge black hole.

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Light-Year

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A way to measure really large distances in space. It's the distance that light can travel in one year.

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Local Group

Back

A neighborhood of galaxies that includes the Milky Way and nearby galaxies.

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Cluster of Galaxies

Back

A group of galaxies that are close together, held together by gravity.