The Space-time Continuum: English Vocabulary List

continuing forever or indefinitely into the future

"The motion is perpetual."

"The perpetual motion machine is impossible because energy cannot be created from nothing."

occurring in sudden, brief manner, without a regular order or time

"He has a spasmodic cough."

"He has a spasmodic cough that comes and goes without any warning or pattern."

either of the two times of the year when the sun reaches its farthest or closest distance from the equator

"The summer solstice arrived."

"The solstice signaled the longest or shortest day of the year."

the specific day that an event turns 200 years old

"The nation celebrated its bicentenary."

"The bicentenary celebration of the city's founding was a big event last year."

the day that an event becomes 100 years old

"The town marked the centenary of the battle."

"The school celebrated its centenary year with many special events last month."

either of the two moments in a year when the Sun, in its apparent motion along the ecliptic, crosses the celestial equator, resulting in approximately equal periods of daylight and darkness worldwide

"The spring equinox occurs in March."

"The spring equinox occurs when day and night are approximately the same length."

(of time) to pass by

"Time will elapse."

"Several hours elapsed before the doctor finally came out of the operating room to update the patient's worried family on his condition."

the time as measured at Greenwich, London, on the line of 0° longitude, used to calculate the time across the globe

"Greenwich Mean Time is."

"Greenwich Mean Time is the standard time reference for the whole world every day."

happening at the end of a process or a particular period of time

"The eventual outcome was positive."

"The eventual winner of the race was the underdog who had trained harder than anyone else for months."

at the appropriate or expected time, without rushing or delay

"It will happen in due time."

"Don't worry about the results; the truth will be revealed in due course."

the time in the evening when the sun is below the horizon

"The twilight was beautiful."

"We walked home in the twilight after dinner."

the second layer of earth's atmosphere composed of cool and warm layers of air

"Stratospheric air is cold."

"The experimental aircraft was designed to reach the lower stratospheric altitudes for its scientific observations."

the theory that adds the notion of time to that of a three-dimensional space

"Space-time is curved."

"Einstein's theory of relativity describes gravity as the curvature of space-time caused by mass."

relating to the path or motion of an object as it revolves around another object in space

"The satellite is in orbital path."

"The satellite is in orbital path around the earth and takes ninety minutes to complete one full circle."

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."

the part of a shadow that is completely dark; caused by acute light blockage

"The umbra was very dark."

"The dark umbra is the central part of a shadow during an eclipse."

a small celestial body that becomes visible as a meteor upon entrance into the atmosphere of the earth

"A meteoroid entered the atmosphere."

"A meteoroid becomes a meteor when it burns in Earth's atmosphere."

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."

a piece of rock coming from outer space that passes through the Earth's atmosphere, producing light

"A meteor burned up brightly."

"We watched a brilliant meteor streak across the darkness, a fleeting visitor from outer space."

a disruption in earth's magnetic field caused by solar activity, resulting in variations that can impact electronic systems and communications on earth

"A magnetic storm hit."

"A powerful magnetic storm can disrupt satellite communications and cause beautiful auroras near the poles."

existing or occurring between galaxies

"The movie is about intergalactic travel."

"The movie is about intergalactic travel and features aliens from many different galaxies."

existing or occurring between planets

"We dream of interplanetary travel."

"We dream of interplanetary travel to Mars and other planets in our solar system."

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."

(specialist) space that consists of more than three dimensions

"Hyperspace has many dimensions."

"In science fiction ships can travel through hyperspace to reach distant stars quickly."

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."

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."

(physics) an invisible substance that makes up most of the universe's mass, detectable only through its gravitational effects

"Dark matter cannot be seen directly."

"Dark matter cannot be seen directly but scientists know it exists because of its gravitational effects."

very small particles originally derived from stars, serving as raw material for forming planets, and existing between galaxies, stars, and other celestial bodies

"Cosmic dust exists everywhere."

"Cosmic dust consists of tiny particles in space."

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."

the colored lights, mainly green and red, in the sky seen primarily near the southern magnetic pole

"We saw aurora australis."

"The aurora australis lights up the southern sky with green and pink curtains of light."

the colored lights, mainly green and red, in the sky seen primarily near the northern magnetic pole

"Aurora borealis is beautiful."

"Tourists travel to Norway and Iceland to see the aurora borealis dancing across the night sky."

a part of planet where the air, land, and water are suitable for all the living things to exist on

"The biosphere includes all living things on Earth."

"We must protect the biosphere so future generations can enjoy a healthy planet."

having a cycle that happens on a daily basis

"Birds are diurnal."

"Most diurnal animals are most active during the daylight hours, seeking food and avoiding predators."

a subdivision of a geologic period, characterized by distinctive and globally recognizable rock layers, fossils, and significant changes in Earth's climate and biota

"An epoch is long."

"The Cenozoic epoch marked a significant turning point in the evolution of mammals after the dinosaurs' extinction."

relating to a time span of a thousand years

"A millennial period."

"The ancient civilization experienced a significant cultural shift over a millennial period."

(of the moon) to gradually decrease in its visible illuminated surface as it progresses from full to new moon

"The moon will wane."

"As the lunar cycle progresses, the visible portion of the moon will gradually wane towards the new moon phase."

(of the moon) to progressively display a larger illuminated section until it turns into a full moon

"The moon waxes."

"The moon waxes and wanes in a predictable cycle each month as the amount of its illuminated surface visible from Earth changes gradually."

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 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."

an endless or lengthy period of time

"It lasted an eon."

"The geological processes that shaped the Earth occurred over an immense eon of time."