Unit 5: Space Vocabulary Flashcards

Front

ORBIT

Back

The curved path of a celestial object or spacecraft around a star, planet, or moon.

Front

REVOLUTION

Back

The act of revolving, or turning round on an axis or a center; the motion of a body round a fixed point or line (the Earth revolves around the Sun).

Front

ROTATION

Back

A circular movement of an object around a center of rotation (the Earth rotates on its axis).

Front

ROTATIONAL AXIS

Back

An imaginary line around which an object spins or rotates.

Front

GRAVITY

Back

The force by which a planet or other body draws objects toward its center.

Front

EQUINOX

Back

When the Sun is exactly above the Equator (SPRING/FALL).

Front

EQUATOR

Back

An imaginary line around the middle of a planet or other celestial body.

Front

SOLSTICE

Back

An event in which a planet's poles are most extremely inclined toward or away from the star it orbits (WINTER/SUMMER).

Front

INTENSITY

Back

The measurable amount of a property, such as force, brightness, or a magnetic field.

Front

AXIAL TILT

Back

Occurs when a planet rotates around an axis that is tilted relative to the plane of its revolution around a larger object.