ASTRONOMY

Baryonic matter. "ordinary" matter consisting of protons, outgassing, leaving long trails of gas and dust as it
electrons, and neutrons that comprises atoms, planets, stars, moves.
galaxies, and other bodies
Asteroid. Small rocky bodies (planetesimals) that are
Dark matter. Matter that has gravity but does not emit leftovers from the formation of the Solar System
light.
Most asteroids in the solar system can be found in a region
Protostar. An early stage in the formation of a star resulting called the asteroid belt
from the gravitational collapse of gases; core of a future star
When located in space, they are called asteroids (when more
Thermonuclear reaction. A nuclear fusion reaction than one meter in diameter) or meteoroids (when less than a
responsible for the energy produced by stars meter in diameter). When it enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it
becomes a meteor. If it reaches the Earth’s surface, it is then
Hydrogen, helium, and lithium are the three most abundant called a meteorite
elements.
Black hole. A region in space where the force of gravity is
Stars. Considered the building blocks of galaxies strong enough that even light cannot escape.
Nuclear fusion. Driving force behind the life of a star. At
- sometimes the result of extreme compression that
the very core of a star, hydrogen undergoes nuclear fusion to
happens when a star dies
form helium, producing an outflow of energy that keeps a
star from collapsing under its own weight. The Milky Way’s very own massive blackhole is called the
Sagittarius A
Galaxy. A cluster of billions of stars
Moon. Earth’s only natural satellite
- Can be elliptical, spiral, or irregular galaxies
Sidereal month. Period when the moon completes one
Supercluster. Clusters of galaxies
revolution around the Earth; 27.32 days.
The universe is 13.8 billion years old. The diameter of the
Synodic month. Period it takes for the Moon to cycle
universe is possibly infinite but should be at least 91 billion
through its phases; 29.5 days
light-years (1 light-year = 9.4607 × 1012 km). Its density is
4.5 x 10-31 g/cm3. The different phases of the Moon are the result of its motion
and the amount of sunlight that is reflected off its surface
Big Bang Theory. postulates that 13.8 billion years ago, the
universe expanded from a tiny, dense and hot mass to its As we start from the new moon, more portions of the moon
present size and much cooler state. can be seen (waxing). When it reaches the full moon phase,
portions of the moon then start to decrease in visibility
Oort cloud. marks the outer boundary of the solar system
(waning) until it reaches the new moon phase again
and is composed mostly of icy object
Lunar eclipse. Occurs when the Earth comes between the
Age of Solar System is at 4.6 billion years old based on
Moon and the Sun, blocking any sunlight from reaching the
radioactive dating of meteorites
Moon’s surface
Most planets rotate prograde (counterclockwise when
viewed from above the Earth's North Pole) - Umbra. Inner shadow cast by the Earth
- Penumbra. Outer portion of the Earth’s shadow
Milky Way galaxy is part of the Local Group galaxy group that only partially blocks the sun’s rays
which is part of the Virgo Supercluster, which is part of the
even greater Laniakea Supercluster. Solar eclipse. occurs when the Moon comes between the
Sun and the Earth and casts a shadow on the Earth

Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HR diagram). Diagram

that classifies stars according to the relationship between
their absolute luminosities or magnitudes and temperatures;
middle diagonal line called the Main Sequence or fall above
it (giants and supergiants) or below it (white dwarfs)

The Sun is a Yellow Dwarf

Comets. Small space bodies composed of dust, ice, and

frozen gases.

- When comets come close to the Sun, it starts to

heat up and releases gas through a process called Moon’s orbit is tilted approximately 5 degrees
The usual number of eclipses per year is four

Nicolaus Copernicus. Polish astronomer who advocated for

a heliocentric model of the universe, later called the
Copernican system.

Johannes Kepler. German astronomer who formulated the

basic laws of planetary motion

Three Basic Laws of Planetary Motion.

All the planets move around the Sun in an elliptical orbit

(Law of Ellipses)

If you trace an imaginary line from a point in the orbit to the

Sun as a planet revolves, the line sweeps over equal areas in
equal intervals of time (Law of Equal Areas)

- explains the variation in the speed at which planets

orbit around the Sun.
- Perihelion. refers to a point where the planet’s
orbit is closest to the Sun
- Aphelion. refers to when it is farthest.

The square of a planet’s orbital period is proportional to the

cube of a planet’s mean distance to the sun (Law of
Harmonies)

Law of Universal Gravitation. Explains how the Moon

affects the tides on Earth and supports the idea that the
massive Sun is the center of our system.