The Universe and Its Stars (Cosmology) - Introductory

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. asteroid
    a small celestial body composed of rock and metal
  2. astronomy
    the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies
  3. 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
  4. black hole
    a region of space resulting from the collapse of a star
  5. brightness
    the quality of being luminous; emitting or reflecting light
  6. comet
    a small frozen mass that travels around the sun
  7. constellation
    a configuration of stars as seen from the earth
  8. corona
    the outermost region of the sun's atmosphere
  9. cosmology
    the study of the evolution and structure of the universe
  10. cosmos
    the universe considered as a whole
  11. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
  12. eclipse
    the phenomenon when one celestial body obscures another
  13. element
    a substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances
  14. emit
    give off, send forth, or discharge
  15. energy
    any source of usable power
  16. expand
    extend in one or more directions
  17. galaxy
    a collection of star systems
  18. 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)
  19. gravity
    the force of attraction between all masses in the universe
  20. heliocentric
    having the sun as or in the middle
  21. hypothesis
    a tentative insight that is not yet verified or tested
  22. interstellar
    between or among stars
  23. iron
    a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element
  24. Isaac Newton
    English mathematician and physicist
  25. lifespan
    the period during which a person, animal, or object exists
  26. light
    electromagnetic radiation that can produce visual sensation
  27. light year
    the distance that light travels in a vacuum in 1 year
  28. luminous
    softly bright or radiant
  29. meteor
    a small, solid space object that has entered Earth's atmosphere
  30. meteorite
    a stony or metallic object from space that hits the earth
  31. Milky Way
    the galaxy containing the solar system
  32. nebula
    an immense cloud of gas and dust in interstellar space
  33. nova
    a star that ejects some of its material in the form of a cloud and become more luminous in the process
  34. orbit
    the path of a celestial body in its revolution about another
  35. phase
    the particular appearance of a body's state of illumination
  36. planet
    a celestial body that revolves around the sun
  37. plasma
    a fourth state of matter distinct from solid, liquid or gas
  38. primordial
    having existed from the beginning
  39. red giant
    a large, old, luminous star
  40. solar system
    the sun with the celestial bodies that revolve around it
  41. space
    any location outside the Earth's atmosphere
  42. spiral galaxy
    a large system of stars arranged in a curved pattern around a center
  43. star
    a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy
  44. stellar
    being or relating to or resembling or emanating from stars
  45. supergiant
    an extremely bright star of very large diameter and low density
  46. supernova
    a star that explodes and becomes luminous in the process
  47. system
    a group of independent elements comprising a unified whole
  48. telescope
    a magnifier of images of distant objects
  49. theory
    a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the world
  50. time
    the continuum of experience in which events pass to the past
  51. universe
    everything that exists anywhere
  52. vacuum
    the absence of matter
  53. white dwarf
    a faint star of enormous density
Created on Fri Feb 10 20:27:34 EST 2017 (updated Mon Apr 17 17:00:20 EDT 2017)

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