Earth: The Blue Marble

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture notes about Earth, covering its orbital characteristics, physical properties, and environmental features.

Orbital Period

The time taken by Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun, approximately 365.256 days.

Eccentricity

A measure of how much an orbit deviates from a perfect circle; Earth has an eccentricity of 0.0167.

Magnetosphere

The region of space around Earth dominated by Earth's magnetic field, protecting it from solar winds and cosmic radiation.

Greenhouse Gas

Substances in the atmosphere, like CO2 and water vapor, that trap heat and maintain the planet's temperature.

Plate Tectonics

The scientific theory describing the large-scale movements of Earth's lithosphere over geological time.

Hydrosphere

The combined mass of water found on, under, and above the surface of a planet, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and ice.

Biosphere

The global sum of all ecosystems, where life exists and interacts with the Earth's spheres.

Albedo

The measure of reflectivity of Earth's surface; it indicates how much sunlight is reflected back into space.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with carbon dioxide and water.

Tidal Locking

The phenomenon where an astronomical body always shows the same face to the object it orbits, like how the Moon does to Earth.