Astronomy Terms

meteor

• A meteor that survives its passage through the earth's atmosphere and part of it reaches the ground.

• A small body of matter from outer space that enters the earth's atmosphere; also known as a "shooting star."

• A celestial body consisting of a nucleus of ice and dust and, when near the sun, a “tail” of gas and dust particles

• A small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it entered the earth's atmosphere

meteoroid

• A small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it entered the earth's atmosphere

• A meteor that survives its passage through the earth's atmosphere and part of it reaches the ground.

• A small body of matter from outer space that enters the earth's atmosphere; also known as a "shooting star."

• A celestial body consisting of a nucleus of ice and dust and, when near the sun, a “tail” of gas and dust particles

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

meteorite

• A small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it entered the earth's atmosphere

• A celestial body consisting of a nucleus of ice and dust and, when near the sun, a “tail” of gas and dust particles

• A meteor that survives its passage through the earth's atmosphere and part of it reaches the ground.

• A small body of matter from outer space that enters the earth's atmosphere; also known as a "shooting star."

dwarf planet

• A natural satellite that orbits a planet.

• An astronomical body that orbits a star, is massive enough for its own gravity to make it round, and has "cleared its neighborhood" of smaller objects around its orbit.

• A celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) is round or nearly round in shape (c) has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite (moon)

• A celestial body consisting of a nucleus of ice and dust and, when near the sun, a “tail” of gas and dust particles

geocentric model

• A model of the Solar System in which the Sun is the center.

• A model of a galaxy in which the Earth is the center.

• A model of the Solar System in which the Earth is the center.

• A model of the Solar System in which a geode is the center.

gravitational force

• A property of matter by which it stays at rest or in motion in a straight line, until it is changed by an external force

• Gravity pulled together a cloud of interstellar gas and dust (called a nebula). As the nebula spun, gravity condensed the gases into the center to form the Sun. Eventually, the gravity of smaller pieces of matter drew objects to them to form the planets.

• A natural phenomenon by which all things with mass are brought toward one another. This force is dependent on the mass of the objects and the distance between objects.

• The tendency of like charges to repel each other

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-4

NGSS.MS-PS2-5

moon

• An astronomical body that orbits a star, is massive enough for its own gravity to make it round, and has "cleared its neighborhood" of smaller objects around its orbit.

• celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) is round or nearly round in shape (c) has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite (moon)

• An astronomical body that orbits planet; also called a "satellite."

• A small body moving in the solar system that would become a meteor if it entered the earth's atmosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

planet

• An astronomical body that orbits a star, is massive enough for its own gravity to make it round, and has "cleared its neighborhood" of smaller objects around its orbit.

• A large body of matter from outer space that enters the earth's atmosphere; also known as a "shooting star."

• An astronomical body that orbits planet; also called a "satellite."

• A celestial body consisting of a nucleus of ice and dust and, when near the sun, a “tail” of gas and dust particles

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3

revolution

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

• A circular movement of an object around a center or an axis.

• The movement of one object around a center or around another object

• The amount by which an object's orbit around another body deviates from a perfect circle.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

solar system

• A luminous sphere of plasma held together by its own gravity. Usually composed of helium and hydrogen and undergoes nuclear fusion to produce light and heat.

• The gravitationally bound system made of a star and all the objects that orbit it.

• Small rocky bodies orbiting the sun, especially between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter

• A unit of measurement equal to approximately the distance from the center of the earth to the center of the sun.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

NGSS.MS-ESS1-2

NGSS.MS-ESS1-3