Space Science and Astronomy Diagram

Lunar Eclipse

This type of eclipse occurs in the Full Moon phase, with the Earth between the Sun and Moon. The Earth casts a shadow on the Moon. Order of celestial bodies...Sun, Earth, Moon

Seasons

caused by the tilt of the Earth on its axis as the Earth travels around the Sun

Solar Eclipse

This type of eclipse occurs in the New Moon phase, with the Moon between the Sun and Earth. The Moon casts a small shadow on the Earth. Order of celestial bodies...Sun, Moon, Earth

Revolution

one complete trip around the sun, also known as an orbit

Rotation

one complete turn of the Earth on its axis, causes day and night

Summer

This season occurs when the hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and receives the most direct sunlight

Constellation

A pattern or grouping of stars imagined by people to represent a figure

Gravity

the force that causes all objects with mass to be attracted to each other, depends on distance and mass

Equinox

The time when day and night are equal length. Occurs in the spring and fall when both hemispheres receive equal amounts of sunlight.

New Moon

Phase of the moon that we can't see. The Moon rises with the sun, so the back side of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun.

Full Moon

Phase of the moon where we see one complete half of the Moon.

Waxing

time during the lunar cycle where the Moon appears to be growing larger

Waning

time during the lunar cycle where the Moon appears to be growing smaller

Light year

Used to measure distances between stars. The distance light travels in one year - 6 trillion miles

Sun

the only star in our solar system, comprises 99.85% of the mass of the solar system

Milky Way Galaxy

spiral-shaped galaxy where our solar system resides, 100,000 light years across

Mars

fourth planet from the Sun, 1/2 the size of Earth, also a rocky planet

Jupiter

fifth planet from the Sun, largest planet, one of the gas giants

Meteor

known as a shooting star, but is actually rocky material that enters Earth's atmosphere, begins glowing due to fluid friction

Proxima Centauri

The closest star OUTSIDE of our Solar System. The Sun is our closest star.

Inertia

the tendency of an object to resist its change in motion.

Mercury

Planet that is closest to the Sun. Completes on revolution of the Sun in 88 days.

Oort Cloud

area in our Solar System where comets originate, estimated to be over 50,000 AU from the Sun

Polaris

the North Star used by sailors to navigate on the ocean

Winter

This season occurs when the hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. Days are short because this hemisphere is receiving indirect sunlight.

Inter-stellar Space

the empty space between galaxies

Satellite

any object that orbits another one, the Moon is a satellite of Earth. Manmade satellites send information back to Earth

Moon phases

the portion of the Moon that we can see from Earth on any given night

Axis

an invisible line around which an object rotates or spins

Cyclical pattern

a complete set of events that repeat themselves regularly in the same order or in a regularly repeated period of time