Vocab List #9

Rotation

the spinning motion of a planet around its axis

Revolution

The movement of an object around another object

Axis

An imaginary line that passes through a planet’s center and its north and south poles about which planet rotates

Season

each of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn and winter) marked by changes in weather,ecology, and amount of daylight

Equinox

either of the two days of the year on which neither hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the sun

Solstice

either of the two days of the year on which the sun reaches its greatest distance north or south of the equator

Phase

one of the different apparent shapes of the moon as seen from earth

Eclipse

the partial or total blocking of one object in space by another

Umbra

the darkest part of a shadow

Penumbra

The part of a shadow surrounding the darkest part

Lunar Eclipse

the blocking of sunlight to the moon that occurs when earth is directly between the sun and the moon

Solar Eclipse

the blocking of sunlight to the earth that occurs when the moon is directly between the sun and earth

Tide

the periodic rise and fall of the level of water in the ocean

Spring Tide

the tide with the greatest difference between consecutive low and high tides

Neap Tide

the tide with the least difference between low and high tides

Orbit

the path of an object as it revolves around another object in space