EE.1.1 Vocab

all existing matter and space considered as a whole; the cosmos.

• Universe

• Revolution

• Rotation

• Galaxy

a system of millions or billions of stars, together with gas and dust, held together by gravitational attraction.

• Seasons

• Galaxy

• Universe

• Neap Tide

an object's spinning motion about its own axis.

• elliptical

• apogee

• rotation

• axis

the object's orbital motion around another object

• rotation

• neap tide

• galaxy

• revolution

the angle between a planet's rotational axis at its north pole and a line perpendicular to the orbital plane of the planet.

• tilted axis

• orbit

• nutation

• kepler's law

Earth's tilted axis causes the seasons. Throughout the year, different parts of Earth receive the Sun's most direct rays. So, when the North Pole tilts toward the Sun, it's summer in the Northern Hemisphere. And when the South Pole tilts toward the Sun, it's winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

• seasons

• equinox

• eclipse

• spring tide

the center of mass of two or more bodies that orbit one another and is the point about which the bodies orbit

• solstice

• equinox

• seasons

• barycenter

the point where the Sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest point in the sky for the year

• solstice

• apogee

• equinox

• universe

two times of the year when the Earth's axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting in a "nearly" equal amount of daylight and darkness at all latitudes.

• elliptical

• eclipse

• seasons

• equinox

when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth that either fully or partially blocks the Sun's light in some areas.

• barycenter

• eclipse

• nutation

• galaxy