The Moon - Middle School

You'll be over the moon when you master this list of lunar vocabulary. Learn about different phases of the moon, eclipses, tides, and much more.
31 words 756 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. apogee
    the farthest point in an orbit around the Earth
  2. atmosphere
    the envelope of gases surrounding any celestial body
  3. catena
    a chain of connected objects, passages, or ideas
  4. crater
    a depression formed by the impact of a meteorite or bomb
  5. eclipse
    the phenomenon when one celestial body obscures another
  6. full moon
    the time when the Moon is fully illuminated
  7. gibbous
    (used of the moon) more than half full
  8. gravity
    the force of attraction between all masses in the universe
  9. harvest moon
    the full moon nearest the September equinox
  10. hemisphere
    half of the terrestrial globe
  11. high tide
    the tide when the water is highest
  12. hydrosphere
    the watery layer of the earth's surface
  13. low tide
    the lowest (farthest) ebb of the tide
  14. lunar
    of or relating to or associated with the moon
  15. lunar eclipse
    when the earth interrupts light shining on the moon
  16. lunar module
    a spacecraft that carries astronauts from the command module to the surface of the moon and back
  17. lunation
    the period between successive new moons (29.531 days)
  18. mare
    a dark region of considerable extent on the surface of the moon
  19. maria
    a dark region of considerable extent on the surface of the moon
  20. mass
    the property of a body that causes it to have weight
  21. moon
    the natural satellite of the Earth
  22. neap tide
    a less than average tide occurring at the first and third quarters of the moon
  23. new moon
    the phase in which the moon is in conjunction with sun and is invisible or appears as a narrow waxing crescent
  24. orbit
    the path of a celestial body in its revolution about another
  25. phase
    the particular appearance of a body's state of illumination
  26. satellite
    any celestial body orbiting around a planet or star
  27. tide
    the periodic rise and fall of the sea level
  28. wane
    decrease in phase
  29. waning
    of the period when the visible surface of the moon decreases
  30. wax
    increase in phase
  31. waxing
    (of the moon) pertaining to the period during which the visible surface of the moon increases
Created on Thu Feb 02 19:29:49 EST 2017 (updated Mon Apr 17 16:33:50 EDT 2017)

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