Earth Science Vocabulary
Earth Science Vocab Unit 4
Celestial Objects-A natural object which is located outside of Earth's atmosphere, such as the Moon, the Sun, an asteroid, planet, or a star.
Arc- a continuous portion of a circle
Constellation-A group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure.
Apparent daily motion- Objects in the sky appear to rise in the East and set in the West each day. This apparent daily motion is a reflection of the Earth's rotation about its axis.
Apparent solar day-The duration of one rotation of the earth on its axis with respect to the apparent sun.
Earth revolution-the orbit of the Earth around the sun
Earth Rotation-the rotation of the solid Earth around its own axis
Focault pendulum-a freely swinging pendulum that consists of a heavy weight hung by a long wire and swings in a constant direction which appears to change showing that the earth rotates
Coriolis Effect-the deflection of objects or substances (such as air) moving along the surface of the Earth, rightward in the Northern Hemisphere and leftward in the Southern Hemisphere.
Seasons-Each of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) marked by particular weather patterns and daylight hours, resulting from the earth's position which is changing with regard to the sun
Perpendicular and Direct Solar rays- Direct rays are when the Sun’s light hits the specified part of the Earth that you are observing at a direct angle of 90 degrees.This means that the sun’s rays are perpendicular to the earth.
Perihelion and aphelion-The points nearest and farthest from the sun in the orbit of a planet or other celestial body.
Local noon- Noon at the local meridian
Zenith position-The point on the celestial sphere that is directly above the observer.
Equinox-Either of the two times during a year when the sun crosses the celestial equator and when the
Celestial Objects-A natural object which is located outside of Earth's atmosphere, such as the Moon, the Sun, an asteroid, planet, or a star.
Arc- a continuous portion of a circle
Constellation-A group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure.
Apparent daily motion- Objects in the sky appear to rise in the East and set in the West each day. This apparent daily motion is a reflection of the Earth's rotation about its axis.
Apparent solar day-The duration of one rotation of the earth on its axis with respect to the apparent sun.
Earth revolution-the orbit of the Earth around the sun
Earth Rotation-the rotation of the solid Earth around its own axis
Focault pendulum-a freely swinging pendulum that consists of a heavy weight hung by a long wire and swings in a constant direction which appears to change showing that the earth rotates
Coriolis Effect-the deflection of objects or substances (such as air) moving along the surface of the Earth, rightward in the Northern Hemisphere and leftward in the Southern Hemisphere.
Seasons-Each of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) marked by particular weather patterns and daylight hours, resulting from the earth's position which is changing with regard to the sun
Perpendicular and Direct Solar rays- Direct rays are when the Sun’s light hits the specified part of the Earth that you are observing at a direct angle of 90 degrees.This means that the sun’s rays are perpendicular to the earth.
Perihelion and aphelion-The points nearest and farthest from the sun in the orbit of a planet or other celestial body.
Local noon- Noon at the local meridian
Zenith position-The point on the celestial sphere that is directly above the observer.
Equinox-Either of the two times during a year when the sun crosses the celestial equator and when the