Astronomy - Charting the Heavens

Pregunta	Respuesta
universe	the totality of all space, time, matter, and energy
astronomy	the study of the universe
annular eclipse	solar eclipse occurring at a time when the moon is far enough away from Earth that it fails to cover the disk of the Sun completely, leaving a ring of sunlight visible around its edge
autumnal equinox	date on which the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving southward, occurring on or near September 22
baseline	the distance between two observing locations used for the purposes of triangulation measurements. the larger the baseline, the better the resolution attainable.
celestial coordinates	pair of quantities-right ascension and declination-similar to longitude and latitude on Earth, used to pinpoint locations of objects on the celestial sphere
celestial equator	the projection of Earth's equator onto the celestial sphere
celestial sphere	imaginary sphere surrounding Earth to which all objects in the sky were once considered to be attached
constellation	a human grouping of stars in the night sky into a recognizable pattern
cosmic distance scale	collection of indirect distance-measurement techniques that astronomers use to measure distances in the universe
declination	celestial coordinate used to measure latitude above or below the celestial equator on the celestial sphere
diurnal motion	apparent daily motion of the stars caused by Earth's rotation
ecliptic	the apparent path of the Sun, relative to the stars on the celestial sphere, over the course of a year
eclipse	event during which one body passes in front of another, so that the light from the occulted body is blocked
full moon	phase of the moon in which it appears as a complete circular disk in the sky
galaxy	gravitationally bound collection of a large number of stars
lunar eclipse	celestial event during which the moon passes through the shadow of the earth, temporarily darkening its surface
lunar phase	the appearance of the moon at different points along its orbit
new moon	phase of the moon during which none of the lunar disk is visible
north celestial pole	point on the celestial sphere directly above Earth's North Pole
parallax	the apparent motion of a relatively close object with respect to a more distant background as the location of the observer changes
partial eclipse	celestial event during which only a part of the occulted body is blocked from view
penumbra	portion of the shadow cast by an eclipsing object in which the eclipse is seen as partial.
phase	appearance of the sunlit face of the moon at different points along its orbit, as seen from Earth
planet	a celestial body moving in an elliptical orbit around a star
precession	the slow change in direction of the rotation axis of a spinning object, caused by some external gravitational influence
quarter moon	lunar phase in which the moon appears as a half disk
revolution	orbital motion of one body about another, such as Earth about the Sun
right ascension	celestial coordinate used to measure longitude on the celestial sphere. the zero point is the position of the Sun at the vernal equinox.
science	a step-by-step process for investigating the physical world based on natural laws and observed phenomena
scientific method	the set of rules used to guide science, based on the idea that scientific "laws" be continually tested and modified or replaced if found inadequate
seasons	changes in average temperature and length of day that result from the tilt of Earth's (or any planet's) axis with respect to the plane of its orbit
sidereal day	the time needed between successive risings of a given star
sidereal month	time required for the moon to complete one trip around the celestial sphere
sidereal year	the time required for the constellations to complete one cycle around the sky and return to their starting points, as seen from a given point on Earth. Earth's orbital period around the Sun is one sidereal year.
solar day	the period of time between the instant when the sun is directly overhead to the next time it is directly overhead
solar eclipse	celestial event during which the new moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth, temporarily blocking the Sun's light
south celestial pole	point on the celestial sphere directly above Earth's South Pole
star	a glowing ball of gas held together by its own gravity and powered by nuclear fusion in its core
summer solstice	point on the ecliptic where the Sun is at its northernmost point above the celestial equator, occurring on or near June 21
synodic month	time required for the moon to complete a full cycle of phases
theoretical model	an attempt to construct a mathematical explanation of a physical process or phenomenon within the assumptions and confines of a given theory. in addition to providing an explanation of the observed facts, the model generally also makes new predictions that can be tested by further observation or experimentation
theory	a framework of ideas and assumptions used to explain some set of observations and make predictions about the real world
total eclipse	celestial event during which one body is completely blocked by another
triangulation	method of determining distance based on the principles of geometry. a distant object is sighted from two well-separated locations. the distance between the two locations and the angle between the line joining them and the line to the distant object are all that are necessary to ascertain the object's distance
tropical year	the time interval between one vernal equinox and the next
umbra	central region of the shadow cast by an eclipsing body
vernal equinox	date on which the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving northward, occurring on or near March 21
winter solstice	point on the ecliptic where the Sun is at its southernmost point below the celestial equator, occurring on or near December 21
zodiac	the 12 constellations on the celestial sphere through which the Sun appears to pass during the course of a year

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	Creado por Jisu Nguyen hace casi 7 años