Earth and Space vocabulary

absorbed

taken in (like heat or light)

air

mixture of gases around Earth

air mass

large body of air with similar temperature and humidity

air pressure

weight of air pressing down

apparent angular diameter

how big an object looks from Earth

aquifer

underground layer of water

area

amount of space something covers

asteroid

small rocky object orbiting the Sun

asthenosphere

soft layer of the mantle that flows slowly

astronomical

related to space

astronomy

study of space and objects in it

atmosphere

layer of gases surrounding Earth

barometric pressure

measurement of air pressure

Big Bang Theory

idea that the universe started from a huge explosion

biodiversity

variety of life in an area

biosphere

all living things on Earth

boundary

place where things meet or divide

carbon cycle

movement of carbon through Earth systems

celestial bodies

natural objects in space

chemical weathering

breaking down rock by chemical changes

circulation

movement of air or water

climate

long-term weather patterns

climate change

long-term change in climate

cloud

tiny water droplets or ice crystals in the air

coevolution

species evolving together

condensation

gas changing into liquid

conduction

transfer of heat through direct contact

constellation

pattern of stars

constructive/destructive

builds up land / breaks down land

continental crust

thick crust that forms continents

convection

heat transfer by movement of fluid

convergent boundary

plates moving toward each other

core

center of Earth (inner solid, outer liquid)

Coriolis Effect

deflection of moving air or water due to Earth's rotation

cosmic microwave background

leftover radiation from the early universe

crater

bowl-shaped hole on a surface

crust

outer layer of Earth

current (ocean)

flowing movement of ocean water

deformation

change in shape of rocks

degradation

wearing down of land

deposition

dropping of sediments

discharge

amount of water that passes by a certain area

divergent boundary

plates moving apart

dynamic equilibrium

balance with constant change

Earth

the planet we live on

earthquake

shaking of Earth's surface

eccentricity

how stretched an orbit is

eclipse

when one object blocks another in space

electromagnetic radiation

energy moving as waves (like light)

element

pure substance made of one type of atom

emission

releasing energy or particles

energy budget

balance of energy entering and leaving Earth

erosion

movement of weathered material

evaporation

liquid changing to gas

extraction

removing natural resources

extrusive

volcanic rock formed at the surface

fault

crack in Earth's crust where movement occurs

foci

two points that define an ellipse

forecast

prediction of weather

formation

how something forms or is made

fossil

preserved remains of a once-living organism

fossil fuel

fuel formed from ancient organisms

frequency

number of waves passing per second

(weather) front

boundary where two air masses meet, leading edge of an air mass

frost wedging

rock breaking from freezing water

(nuclear) fusion

when small atoms join to form a larger atom, releasing energy

galaxy

huge group of stars and space objects

geological

related to Earth's structure

geosphere

solid parts of Earth

glacier

large moving mass of ice

gravitational force

pull between objects with mass

gravity

force that pulls objects together

Greenhouse Effect

trapping of heat in Earth's atmosphere

greenhouse gases

gases that trap heat

habitable zone

area where liquid water can exist

hazard

potential danger

history

study of past events

hot spot

place where magma rises through crust

hurricane

large tropical storm

hydrosphere

all water on Earth

ice

solid form of water

Ice Age

period with large ice sheets

igneous rock

rock formed from cooled magma or lava

infiltration

water soaking into the ground

infrared

type of heat radiation

insolation

incoming sunlight energy

interface

surface where systems meet

interior

inside part of something

intrusive

rock formed below Earth's surface

isotope

atoms of same element with different masses

Kepler's Laws

rules of planetary motion

land

solid surface of Earth

landscape

visible features of land

lava

magma that reaches surface

lifespan

length of time something lives

lithosphere

rigid outer layer of Earth

local

nearby area

luminosity

brightness of an object

lunar

related to the Moon

magma

melted rock below surface