Astronomy, Solar System, and Lunar Phenomena Study Guide

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering Earth's movement, the Solar System, moon phases, eclipses, and ocean tides.

Day

The side of the Earth that faces the Sun as the Earth spins.

Night

The side of the Earth that faces away from the Sun as the Earth spins.

Moon

A celestial body whose gravity prevents the Earth from tilting wildly and wobbling, creates ocean waves/tides, slows down the length of a day, and provides moonlight to help nocturnal animals see.

Star

A giant ball of hot gas that produces heat and light, such as the Sun.

Terrestrial Planets

Planets mostly made up of solid rock and metals, such as Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

Gas Planets / Giants

Planets mostly made up of gases, but also containing rocks and metals, such as Jupiter and Saturn.

Ice Planets

Planets mostly made up of icy materials, but also containing rocks, metals, and gases, such as Neptune and Uranus.

Asteroid Belt

A large collection of asteroids found between Mars and Jupiter.

Asteroids

Leftover rocks remaining from the formation of the solar system.

Role of Gravity in Solar System Formation

The mechanism where a shockwave caused a cloud of dust and gas to collapse and spin, pulling materials inward to form planets, moons, and the asteroid belt.

Seasons

Periods identified by changes in weather, temperature, and daylight hours.

Phases of the Moon

The progression of lunar appearances (new moon, crescent, first quarter, gibbous, full moon, third quarter) that depends on where the Moon is on its orbit around the Earth.

Eclipse

An event that occurs when an object in space falls into the shadow of another object.

Lunar Eclipse

An event occurring when the Moon passes into Earth's shadow and darkens into a deep red color because sunlight bends through Earth's atmosphere and reflects red light to the Moon.

Solar Eclipse

An event occurring when the Moon is positioned directly between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on part of the Earth's surface.

Spring Tides

Tides occurring during a new moon or full moon phase when the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up in a straight line, combining gravitational pulls to create higher high tides and lower low tides.

Neap Tides

Tides occurring during the first or third quarter moon phase when the Earth, Moon, and Sun sit at a $90^\text{ degree}$ angle, causing gravitational pulls to partially cancel out and resulting in lower high and low tides.