Astronomy and Earth Science Terms

Front

aphelion

Back

the point in the orbit of a planet or other astronomical body, at which it is farthest from the sun

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day

Back

the period of time it takes for earth to complete one full rotation

Front

equator

Back

the imaginary line that divides the Earth into the northern and southern hemispheres.

Front

gravity

Back

an attractive force that exist between all objects that have mass.

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hemisphere

Back

a half of a sphere (or half of Earth as divided by the equator).

Front

high tide

Back

when the ocean's surface reaches its highest point due to the gravitational interaction of the moon and the ocean's water.

Front

latitude

Back

a geographic coordinate that specifies the north–south position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body.

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longitude

Back

a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body.

Front

Law of Universal Gravitation

Back

every particle attracts every other particle in the universe with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.

Front

low tide

Back

when the ocean's surface is at its lowest point due to the position of the Earth's surface relative to the moon and the force of gravity between them.