Astronomy and Aerospace Science: English Vocabulary List

a scientist who studies or observes planets, stars, and other happenings in the universe

"The astronomer discovered a new comet."

"The astronomer spent every clear night looking through the telescope hoping to discover a new comet or asteroid."

a scientist who studies the physical properties and phenomena of celestial objects and the universe as a whole

"He is an astrophysicist."

"The astrophysicist uses powerful telescopes to study the birth and death of stars in distant galaxies."

a building where scientists observe stars, meteors, the weather, etc. using equipment such as telescope

"Astronomers gathered data from the observatory nightly"

"The observatory located on the mountain top is used by scientists to observe distant galaxies and planets."

any of the rocky bodies orbiting the sun, ranging greatly in diameter, also found in large numbers between Jupiter and Mars

"An asteroid flew past Earth."

"Scientists are tracking a large asteroid that is predicted to pass relatively close to Earth next year."

a piece of rock or metal from space that has hit the surface of the earth

"A meteorite fell from sky."

"The meteorite crashed into the desert leaving a large crater visible from space."

to move around a star, planet, or a large object in space

"Satellites orbit the Earth at high speed."

"The International Space Station orbits the Earth at an altitude of approximately two hundred fifty miles."

an exploding star that as a result is emitting a very large amount of light, more than the sun

"A supernova can outshine a galaxy."

"A supernova is the cataclysmic death of a star"

an object in space that is a mass of ice and dust and when it nears the sun it starts illuminating in the shape of a tail

"A comet appeared in the sky."

"Astronomers observed a bright comet with a long, glowing tail streaking across the night sky."

a small, dense, and faint stellar remnant that is left after a medium-sized star exhausts the nuclear fuel in its core and undergoes gravitational collapse

"A white dwarf is dense."

"After its main sequence life, our Sun will eventually become a white dwarf, a compact stellar remnant."

a planet that is outside the solar system

"An exoplanet orbits another star."

"The discovery of an exoplanet in the habitable zone of its star has generated significant scientific interest."

a region in the solar system located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, populated by numerous small celestial bodies called asteroids

"Asteroid belt is between Mars and Jupiter."

"The asteroid belt contains millions of rocky objects orbiting between the planets Mars and Jupiter."

related to or characteristic of planets or the solar system

"The system is planetary."

"The planetary system includes the sun and all of the objects that orbit around it including planets and asteroids."

a unit of mass used in astronomy, defined as the mass of the Sun

"Sun has one solar mass."

"The mass of our Sun is defined as one solar mass which scientists use as a standard unit."

relating to or originating from outside the Earth or its atmosphere

"The signal is extraterrestrial."

"The extraterrestrial life has never been discovered but scientists continue to search for signs of it on other planets."

the visible surface of a star, including the Sun, where energy is emitted as light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation

"Sun photosphere is visible."

"The photosphere is the bright visible surface of the Sun that we can see from Earth."

situated or occurring between stars or within the space that exists between stars

"The space is interstellar."

"The interstellar space between stars is not completely empty because it contains gas and dust particles."

a glowing cloud of gas and dust in outer space, often the result of a star explosion or formation

"A nebula is a cloud."

"The Hubble telescope captured stunning images of a colorful nebula where new stars are being born."

a natural light display in the Earth's polar regions, caused by the collision of charged particles from the sun with atoms in the Earth's atmosphere

"The aurora lights up the night sky."

"The beautiful aurora lit up the night sky with green and pink dancing lights."

a celestial body that orbits the Sun and has sufficient mass for its gravity to pull it into a nearly spherical shape

"Pluto is dwarf planet."

"Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet because it has not cleared its orbital path around the Sun."

related to or occurring in the sky or outer space

"The body is celestial."

"Astronomers observed a new celestial body moving through the vast expanse of outer space."

a vehicle designed to travel in space

"The spacecraft docked with the space station."

"An uncrewed spacecraft was launched to explore the methane lakes of a distant moon."

a designated area at a spaceport or rocket launch site where rockets or spacecraft are positioned and prepared for liftoff

"Rocket launch pad."

"The rocket stood ready on the launch pad waiting for the final countdown to begin its journey to space."

a robotic vehicle designed to move across the surface of a celestial body to conduct scientific experiments and gather data

"Mars rover explores."

"The rover landed safely on Mars and began to explore the surface collecting rock samples for analysis."

the science and practice of designing, building, and operating aircraft, including airplanes and spacecraft

"He studies aeronautics."

"Aeronautics is the science that deals with the design and operation of aircraft and flying machines."

a type of solar eclipse where the moon, passing between the earth and the sun, appears smaller than the sun, creating a ring of sunlight around the darkened moon

"An annular eclipse leaves a ring of sunlight."

"During an annular eclipse the moon covers the center of the sun leaving a bright ring of sunlight visible around the edges."

a model of the celestial sphere, historically used to depict and study the positions of celestial objects, consisting of a series of hoops representing important circles in the sky

"Ancient armillary sphere."

"The armillary sphere is an old astronomical instrument that models the positions of important celestial objects."

a small, natural glassy object formed from terrestrial debris ejected during meteorite impacts, known for its smooth texture and found in strewn fields across the Earth's surface

"Tektite is natural glass."

"Tektites are small pieces of natural glass formed when meteorites strike the Earth at high speed."

a building with a dome in which moving images of planets, starts, and constellations are projected for educational or entertainment purposes

"We visited the planetarium."

"The planetarium projected a breathtaking simulation of the night sky above us."

a specific group of stars that form a pattern and have a name related to their shape

"Orion is a constellation."

"Ancient cultures often named constellations based on mythological figures or animals they resembled."

the process by which the surface of an object, such as a comet or an asteroid, erodes or vaporizes due to the effects of solar radiation and other environmental factors

"The spacecraft experienced heat shield ablation during reentry"

"During summer months glacier ablation increases significantly as rising temperatures cause more ice to melt."

the outer layer of the Sun's atmosphere, observable as a plasma halo during a solar eclipse

"The sun's corona is very hot."

"The corona is the outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere"

a sudden, brief burst of increased brightness observed from the sun's surface, usually accompanied by a burst of energy and radiation

"Solar flare is powerful."

"A strong solar flare can release enormous energy and sometimes disrupt satellite communications on Earth."

the round top of a volcano

"The volcano had a crater."

"A crater is a bowl-shaped depression on a planetary surface"

to overshadow another astrological body

"The moon will eclipse."

"During the solar eclipse, the moon will temporarily eclipse the sun, casting a shadow on Earth."

an unmanned spacecraft or device sent to gather information from space and transmit it back

"Space probe travels far."

"The space probe traveled for many years to reach the distant planet and send back valuable scientific data."

to send an object, such as a satellite, missile, etc., into space

"They will launch the rocket."

"Scientists are preparing to launch the new satellite into the Earth's orbit next week."

the orbital movement of a planet, moon, or satellite around another body

"The planet's revolution takes time."

"The Earth's annual revolution around the sun dictates the cycle of the seasons we experience."