Asteroid: Small planets that number in the thousands. They are sometimes referred to as minor planets.
Aurora: A glowing light in the atmosphere of a planet that's caused by a mixture of particles.
Big Dipper: The name of a gathering of stars that appears in the shape of a dipping cup.
Black Hole: A formation in space created when a star collapses. It possesses a gravitational pull so strong that light cannot escape from it.
Coma: A cloud of gas that grows around the nucleus of a comet. It is also referred to as the comet's head.
Comet: A frozen entity made up of gasses and dust that revolves around the sun.
Comet Tail: A mass of dust that travels behind a comet.
Constellation: A gathering of stars. Several constellations are named after animals, particular objects, and characters from a myth.
Crater: A rounded depression in planet caused by an object that produces a tremendous impact. The moon's surface contains craters that were created by meteorites.
Dark Matter: A term that refers to an invisible formation in space that is identified by the presence of gravitational forces.
Double Star: Two stars that appear to be a single star because they are positioned along the same sightline. In reality the stars are located a great distance from one another.
Earth: The planet that is the fifth largest and is the third from the sun.
Eclipse: The occurrence of one celestial object partially or totally hiding another from view.
Field of View: The collection of objects that a person can see through a telescope.
Full Moon: The phase of the moon during which its entire face is visible from earth.
Galaxy: A seemingly endless gathering of dust, gasses, and billions of stars.
Gibbous: The phase of the moon when light can be seen on more than half of its face.
Halo: It is a circle of light that appears to surround the sun or moon.
Heliocentric: Regarding the sun as the point of focus.
Interplanetary: The area that is located between the planets.
Interstellar Space: The area that falls between the stars.
Light-year: The amount of distance that light is able to travel in a single year.
Lunar Rover: The electric vehicle that astronauts use to explore the moon.
Meteorite: A section of a meteoroid that consists of metal or rock material.
Meteoroid: A solid formation that makes its way through outer space.
Milky Way: The galaxy characterized by a spiral shape. It's also where the sun is located.
Nebula: The formation of a cloud in space made of gas or dust
Nova: A star that flares in brightness to tremendously high levels and then gradually begins to fade.
Orb: The name of a sphere in space such as the sun, moon, or other planet.
Orbit: The regular path that one object uses to travel around another.
Planetary Nebula: A nebula that surrounds a star that is collapsing.
Pulsar: A neutron star that as it rotates gives off radiation in a regular flow.
Radio Galaxy: A galaxy that possesses powerful radio waves.
Rotation: The act of turning around a central point.
Satellite: Objects in orbit. Narutal Satellites orbiting objects such as moons while articficial satellites such as sputnik are used for acquiring data and transmitting signals for global phones and for navigation.
Solar Eclipse: The occurrence of the moon moving between the sun and the earth.
Solar System: The part of the galaxy that is ruled by the gravitational affects of the sun.
Star Dust: A gathering of stars that are so far away that they cannot be seen individually by a casual observer.
Stellar Wind: A star's constant outpour of ionized gas particles.
Sunspots: Dark formations that show up on the sun representing areas that have cooled temporarily to some degree.
Supernova: A star that explodes and causes an overwhelming outpouring of light.
Telescope: An instrument that magnifies objects in space for its viewers.
Zenith: The location of the highest point seen directly above.
More Astronomy Terms:
· A Glossary of Astronomers and Astronomy Terms