The Universe and Its Stars (Cosmology) - High School

You'll have a stellar vocabulary once you review this list of of terms related to cosmology. Expand your knowledge of the universe as you learn about galaxies, constellations, and the solar system. Reach for the stars!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. absolute magnitude
    (astronomy) the magnitude that a star would have if it were viewed from a distance of 10 parsecs (32.62 light years) from the earth
  2. absorption spectrum
    the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation that has passed through a medium that absorbed radiation of certain wavelengths
  3. Albert Einstein
    physicist born in Germany who formulated the special theory of relativity and the general theory of relativity; Einstein also proposed that light consists of discrete quantized bundles of energy (later called photons) (1879-1955)
  4. antimatter
    mass consisting of antiparticles of normal substances
  5. asteroid
    a small celestial body composed of rock and metal
  6. astronomy
    the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies
  7. atom
    the smallest component of an element
  8. big bang theory
    (cosmology) the theory that the universe originated sometime between 10 billion and 20 billion years ago from the cataclysmic explosion of a small volume of matter at extremely high density and temperature
  9. black hole
    a region of space resulting from the collapse of a star
  10. Christian Johann Doppler
    Austrian physicist famous for his discovery of the Doppler effect (1803-1853)
  11. closed universe
    (cosmology) a universe that is spatially closed and in which there is sufficient matter to halt the expansion that began with the big bang; the visible matter is only 10 percent of the matter required for closure but there may be large amounts of dark matter
  12. comet
    a small frozen mass that travels around the sun
  13. constellation
    a configuration of stars as seen from the earth
  14. corona
    the outermost region of the sun's atmosphere
  15. cosmic background radiation
    (cosmology) the cooled remnant of the hot big bang that fills the entire universe and can be observed today with an average temperature of about 2.725 kelvin
  16. cosmology
    the study of the evolution and structure of the universe
  17. cosmos
    the universe considered as a whole
  18. dark matter
    a hypothetical invisible form of matter making up most of the universe
  19. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
  20. density
    the amount per unit size
  21. Doppler effect
    change in the apparent frequency of a wave as observer and source move toward or away from each other
  22. eclipse
    the phenomenon when one celestial body obscures another
  23. Edwin Hubble
    United States astronomer who discovered that (as the universe expands) the speed with which nebulae recede increases with their distance from the observer (1889-1953)
  24. electromagnetic radiation
    radiation consisting of waves of energy associated with electric and magnetic fields resulting from the acceleration of an electric charge
  25. electromagnetic spectrum
    the entire frequency range of electromagnetic waves
  26. electromagnetism
    a physical force produced from the interaction of charged particles
  27. electron
    an elementary particle with negative charge
  28. element
    a substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances
  29. emission
    the act of causing to flow forth
  30. emission spectrum
    spectrum of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a self-luminous source
  31. energy
    any source of usable power
  32. Eratosthenes
    Greek mathematician and astronomer who estimated the circumference of the earth and the distances to the Moon and sun (276-194 BC)
  33. first law of thermodynamics
    the fundamental principle of physics that the total energy of an isolated system is constant despite internal changes
  34. Fred Hoyle
    an English astrophysicist and advocate of the steady state theory of cosmology; described processes of nucleosynthesis inside stars (1915-2001)
  35. frequency
    the number of occurrences within a given time period
  36. fusion
    reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei
  37. galaxy
    a collection of star systems
  38. Galileo Galilei
    Italian astronomer and mathematician who was the first to use a telescope to study the stars; demonstrated that different weights descend at the same rate; perfected the refracting telescope that enabled him to make many discoveries (1564-1642)
  39. geocentric
    having the earth in the middle
  40. gravity
    the force of attraction between all masses in the universe
  41. heliocentric
    having the sun as or in the middle
  42. helium
    a light colorless element that is one of the six inert gases
  43. hydrogen
    a colorless, odorless gas; the lightest chemical element
  44. Hypatia
    Greek philosopher and astronomer; she invented the astrolabe
  45. hypothesis
    a tentative insight that is not yet verified or tested
  46. interstellar
    between or among stars
  47. iron
    a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element
  48. Isaac Newton
    English mathematician and physicist
  49. isotope
    atom with same atomic number, different number of neutrons
  50. Johannes Kepler
    German astronomer who first stated laws of planetary motion
  51. lifespan
    the period during which a person, animal, or object exists
  52. light
    electromagnetic radiation that can produce visual sensation
  53. light year
    the distance that light travels in a vacuum in 1 year
  54. luminous
    softly bright or radiant
  55. magnetic field
    the lines of force surrounding a permanent magnet or a moving charged particle
  56. mass
    the property of a body that causes it to have weight
  57. matter
    that which has mass and occupies space
  58. meteor
    a mass that enters earth's atmosphere, becoming incandescent
  59. meteorite
    a stony or metallic object from space that hits the earth
  60. microwave
    a relatively short electromagnetic wave used for cooking food
  61. Milky Way
    the galaxy containing the solar system
  62. momentum
    the product of a body's mass and its velocity
  63. nebula
    an immense cloud of gas and dust in interstellar space
  64. neutron star
    a star that has collapsed under its own gravity
  65. Nicolaus Copernicus
    Polish astronomer who produced a workable model of the solar system with the sun in the center (1473-1543)
  66. nova
    a star that ejects some of its material in the form of a cloud and become more luminous in the process
  67. nuclear fission
    a nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy
  68. nuclear fusion
    a nuclear reaction in which nuclei combine to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy
  69. nucleosynthesis
    (astronomy) the cosmic synthesis of atoms more complex than the hydrogen atom
  70. nucleus
    the positively charged dense center of an atom
  71. orbit
    the path of a celestial body in its revolution about another
  72. parallax
    apparent displacement of an object as seen from two points
  73. particle
    a body having finite mass but negligible dimensions
  74. phase
    the particular appearance of a body's state of illumination
  75. planet
    a celestial body that revolves around the sun
  76. planetesimal
    one of many small solid celestial bodies thought to have existed at an early stage in the development of the solar system
  77. plasma
    a fourth state of matter distinct from solid, liquid or gas
  78. primordial
    having existed from the beginning
  79. proton
    a stable particle with positive charge
  80. Ptolemy
    Alexandrian astronomer (of the 2nd century) who proposed a geocentric system of astronomy that was undisputed until the late Renaissance
  81. pulsar
    a degenerate neutron star that emits polarized radiation
  82. quasar
    a starlike object that may send out radio waves
  83. radiant energy
    energy that is transmitted in the form of radiation
  84. radiation
    energy transmitted in the form of rays or waves or particles
  85. radio telescope
    astronomical telescope that picks up electromagnetic radiations in the radio-frequency range from extraterrestrial sources
  86. red giant
    a large, old, luminous star
  87. redshift
    (astronomy) a shift in the spectra of very distant galaxies toward longer wavelengths (toward the red end of the spectrum); generally interpreted as evidence that the universe is expanding
  88. reflecting telescope
    optical telescope consisting of a large concave mirror that produces an image that is magnified by the eyepiece
  89. relativity
    the theory that space and time are not absolute concepts
  90. solar flare
    a sudden eruption of intense high-energy radiation from the sun's surface; associated with sunspots and radio interference
  91. solar system
    the sun with the celestial bodies that revolve around it
  92. space
    any location outside the Earth's atmosphere
  93. space-time
    the four-dimensional coordinate system (3 dimensions of space and 1 of time) in which physical events are located
  94. spectroscope
    an optical instrument for spectrographic analysis
  95. spectroscopy
    the use of spectroscopes to analyze spectra
  96. spectrum
    an ordered array of the components of an emission or wave
  97. spheroid
    a shape that is generated by rotating an ellipse around one of its axes
  98. spiral galaxy
    a large system of stars arranged in a curved pattern around a center
  99. star
    a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy
  100. stellar
    being or relating to or resembling or emanating from stars
  101. Stephen Hawking
    English theoretical physicist (born in 1942)
  102. sunspot
    a cooler darker spot appearing periodically on the sun's photosphere; associated with a strong magnetic field
  103. supergiant
    an extremely bright star of very large diameter and low density
  104. supernova
    a star that explodes and becomes luminous in the process
  105. system
    a group of independent elements comprising a unified whole
  106. telescope
    a magnifier of images of distant objects
  107. theory
    a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the world
  108. time
    the continuum of experience in which events pass to the past
  109. universe
    everything that exists anywhere
  110. vacuum
    the absence of matter
  111. visible light
    (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
  112. wave
    (physics) a movement up and down or back and forth
  113. wavelength
    distance between successive crests of a periodic disturbance
  114. white dwarf
    a faint star of enormous density
  115. zenith
    the highest point of something
Created on Fri Feb 10 20:09:10 EST 2017 (updated Mon Apr 17 17:21:23 EDT 2017)

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