Earth In Space Vocabulary
How big is the Earth compared to the Sun?
1 million Earth's could fit inside Sun. 109 Earth's could fit across the Sun's diameter.
How far from Earth is the sun in sun diameters?
100 sun diameters away from sun.
How far from the Earth is the moon in Earth diameters?
30 moons away from Earth.
How long does it take earth to complete on revolution?
365 and 0ne-fourth days to complete one revolution.
How big was the Moon compared to the Earth?
49 moons could fit inside the Earth and 3.7 moons could fit around the diameter of the Earth.
How long does it take the moon to make one revolution of the earth?
About 27 days or 1 month.
Ellipse
An oval-shaped closed curve; the shape of a planet's orbit.
Angle of Seperation
Angle between lines originating from the eye of the observer toward two objects, such as the star- the Sun - and the horizon.
Equinox
Either two times of the year(fall or spring) during a planets orbits when the north and south poles are equidistant from the sun causing day and night to be equal length.
What important contributions did Nicholas Copernicus make?
First to study and believe Earth orbited around Sun.
What were some of Galileo's important contributions to the study of astronomy?
First to use spyglasses to look at night sky. First to speak about sun is center of solar system.
What causes day and night?
Rotation of earth. As earth rotates we turn in and out of lighted half.
Revovle
To move in a curved path or orbit.
Rotate
To turn or spin around a central point or axis.
Scale
The ratio between the measurements on a map or model and the actual measurements of an object.
Solar Noon
The time of day when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky for a given place on Earth.
Equator
the imaginary line drawn around the center of a planet, moon, or star that divides it into a northern hemisphere and a southern hemisphere.
How long does it take earth to complete one rotation?
It takes 24 hours to complete 1 rotation.
Why do the sun and moon appear to be the same size?
Moon closer to earth but farther away from sun.
What did ancient people believe was the center of the universe?
The sun revolved around the earth.
Geocentric
The theory that the Earth is in the center of the universe.
Heliocentric
The theory that the Sun is in the center of the universe.
Year
The time it takes a planet to complete one revolution around the sun; Earth's year is 365 and 1-fourth days long.
Day
The time it takes a planet to complete one rotation on it's axis; One Earth day is approximately 24 hours.