8L Explore Science

• Earth


  The planet we live on.

  
• Moon


  The Moon (with a capital M) is the moon that orbits the Earth.

  
• model


  A way of showing or representing something that helps you to think about it or to find out about it.
• orbit


  The path that a planet takes around a star, or the path that a moon or satellite takes around a planet.

  
• planet


  A large object orbiting a star. The Earth is a planet.

  
• Solar System


  A star with planets and other objects orbiting around it.

  
• star


  A huge ball of gas that gives out energy - we see some of the energy as light.

  
• Sun


  The star that the Earth orbits.

  
• moon


  A natural satellite of a planet.

  
• phases of the Moon

  The different shapes the Moon seems to have at different times.

  
• Equator


  An imaginary line around the middle of the Earth.

  
• hemisphere


  Half of a sphere - the shape you would get if you cut a solid ball in half.

  
• northern hemisphere


  The half of the Earth with the North Pole in it. China is in the northern hemisphere.

  
• attract


  Two things pulling towards each other.

  
• compass


  A magnetised piece of metal that can swing around. One end always points north.

  
• field


  The volume around something where a non-contact force can affect things. Examples are magnetic fields and gravitational fields.

  
• field lines


  Lines drawn to show which way a magnetic field acts.

  
• magnetic field


  The space around a magnet where it can affect magnetic materials or other magnets.

  
• north-seeking pole


  The end of a magnet that points north if the magnet can move freely. Often just called the north pole.

  
• repel


  Push away.

  
• south-seeking pole


  The end of a magnet that points south if the magnet can move freely. Often just called the south pole.
• artificial satellite


  A satellite made by humans.

  
• gravitational field


  The space around the Earth where the Earth's gravity affects things.

  
• gravitational field strength


  The force with which a gravitational field pulls on each kilogram of mass. The gravitational field strength ('g') on Earth is approximately 10 N/kg.
• gravity


  The force of attraction between any two objects. The Earth is very big and so has strong gravity that pulls everything down towards it.

  
• natural satellite


  A satellite that has not been made by humans. The Moon is a natural satellite of the Earth.

  
• satellite


  Anything that orbits a planet or a moon.

  
• weight


  The amount of force with which gravity pulls things. It is measured in newtons (N). Your weight would change if you went into space or to another planet.

  
• constellation


  A pattern of stars. The stars in a constellation are not usually close together, they only appear to be close when seen from the Earth.

  
• galaxy


  Millions of stars grouped together.

  
• light year


  The distance that light travels in one year.
• Milky Way


  The galaxy that our Solar System is in.

  
• Universe


  All the galaxies and the space between them.

  
• North pole


  One end of a magnet
• South pole


  The other end of a magnet
• When two of the same pole are near each other


  They will repel each other
• When two different poles are near each other

  They will attract each other
• Magnetic field


  The space around a magnet
• The direction of a magnetic field is always away from the north pole and towards the south pole
• Gravity


  The force that pulls objects together