Solar System and Space Test Review

100 vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the Solar System and Space test review.

Solar System

A sun-centered system of planets and debris.

Terrestrial Planets

The group of planets that includes Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

Gas Giants

The group of planets that includes Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Astronomical Unit (AU)

The distance from Earth to the Sun, approximately 150 million kilometers.

Light Year (Ly)

The distance that light travels in one year, used for measuring distances outside the solar system.

Asteroids

Rocky remnants found in the asteroid belt.

Comets

Objects made of ice, dust, and rock with elliptical orbits and tails.

Kuiper Belt

A region of icy objects and dwarf planets located behind Neptune.

Nebula

A cloud of gas and dust where stars are born.

Nuclear Fusion

The process of hydrogen fusing into helium in the sun, releasing energy.

Core (Sun Anatomy)

The center of the sun where nuclear fusion occurs.

Radiative Zone

The layer of the sun where energy is transferred through radiation.

Convective Zone

The outer layer of the sun's interior where convection currents occur.

Photosphere

The visible surface of the sun.

Chromosphere

The inner atmosphere of the sun.

Corona

The outer atmosphere of the sun.

Mass (Star Lifecycle)

The most important factor in determining a star's lifecycle.

Rotation (Earth)

The spinning of Earth on its axis that takes 24 hours, resulting in day and night.

Revolution (Earth)

The orbit of Earth around the sun which takes approximately 365.25 days.

Earth's Tilt

The tilt of Earth's axis at 23.5 degrees, which causes the seasons.

Solstice

The time of year when the day is longest (summer) or shortest (winter).

Equinox

The time of year when day and night are of equal length (spring and fall).

Tides

The gravitational pull of the moon on Earth's water, causing rising and falling tides.

Luminous Objects

Objects that emit their own light, such as stars.

Non-luminous Objects

Objects that reflect light from a primary source, such as planets and moons.

Meteoroid

A small rock or particle from space.

Meteor

A meteoroid that enters Earth's atmosphere and produces a streak of light.

Meteorite

A meteoroid that survives its passage through the atmosphere and hits the ground.

LEO (Low Earth Orbit)

An orbit closest to Earth, used primarily for space stations and imaging.

MEO (Medium Earth Orbit)

An orbit primarily used for GPS satellites.

GEO (Geostationary Orbit)

An orbit that stays over one spot on Earth, used for weather and television satellites.

Polaris (North Star)

The star located directly above the North Pole, identifiable using pointer stars.

Big Bang Theory

The prevailing cosmological model describing the universe's inception around 13.7 billion years ago.

Galaxy Types

Categories of galaxies including Spiral, Barred Spiral, Elliptical, and Irregular.

Sun Stats

The sun is 4.6 billion years old and is composed of 73% hydrogen, 25% helium, and 2% other heavier elements.

Mars Rovers

Vehicles like Curiosity and Perseverance utilized to analyze soil and search for signs of life on Mars.

Constellation Identification

The process of recognizing stars and their patterns in the night sky.

Pointers (Big Dipper)

Stars Dubhe and Merak that point toward Polaris in the night sky.

Big Dipper

A well-known constellation used for navigation.

Little Dipper

A constellation containing Polaris, the North Star.

Cassiopeia

A distinctive W-shaped constellation in the northern sky.

Dwarf Planets

Celestial bodies that orbit the sun but have not cleared their orbital path.

Solar Radiation

Energy emitted by the sun, vital for life on Earth.

Asteroid Belt

The region of space between Mars and Jupiter where many asteroids are found.

Elliptical Orbit

The oval path followed by celestial bodies due to gravitational attraction.

Hubble's Law

The observation that galaxies are receding from us, indicating that the universe is expanding.

Redshift

The increase in wavelength of light from an object moving away from the observer.

Blue Shift

The decrease in wavelength of light from an object moving towards the observer.

Supernova

The explosion of a star at the end of its life cycle.

Black Hole

A region of space where gravity is so strong that nothing can escape from it.

White Dwarf

A small, dense star that has exhausted most of its nuclear fuel.

Neutron Star

A compact star composed primarily of neutrons, formed in a supernova.

Magnitude

A measure of the brightness of a star.

Light Pollution

The excessive or obtrusive artificial light that disrupts natural darkness.

Exoplanet

A planet located outside of our solar system.

Terraforming

The process of altering a planet’s atmosphere and surface to make it habitable.

Astrobiology

The study of life in the universe, including the search for extraterrestrial life.

Orbital Inclination

The tilt of an object's orbit in relation to a reference plane.

Satellite

A celestial body that orbits a planet.

Gravity

The force that attracts two bodies toward each other.

Momentum

The quantity of motion an object possesses, dependent on mass and velocity.

Kinetic Energy

The energy of an object due to its motion.

Potential Energy

Stored energy based on an object's position or configuration.

Space Exploration

The use of astronomy and space technologies to explore outer space.

Astronaut

A person trained to travel and work in space.

Solar Eclipses

Events where the moon passes between Earth and the sun, blocking sunlight.

Lunar Eclipses

Events where Earth comes between the sun and the moon, shadowing the moon.

Cosmology

The science of the origin and development of the universe.

Theoretical Physics

A branch of physics that uses mathematical models to explain natural phenomena.

Photon

A particle representing a quantum of light or electromagnetic radiation.

Jupiter

The largest planet in the solar system, known for its Great Red Spot.

Saturn

The planet known for its prominent ring system.

Uranus

The planet with a unique sideways rotation.

Neptune

The farthest planet from the sun, known for its deep blue color.

Mercury

The closest planet to the sun.

Venus

The planet with a dense atmosphere, often called Earth's twin.