Astronomy

• Solar Wind 


  stream of high energy particles sent into space which causes the light displays
• Aurora Borealis - Northern Hemisphere
• Aurora Australis - Southern Hemisphere
• Prominences


  storms that look like huge arches extending outward the Sun's surface that could last for several days
• Solar Flares


  more intense than prominences and last for only about 15 minutes
• Sunspots


  dark, cooler parts of the Sun's surface caused by the changes in the Sun's magnetic field
• Sun


  the only in the solar system; a ball of hot plasma that serves as the source of heat and light; holds 99.8% of the mass of the solar system
• Mercury


  smallest planet; closest to the Sun; no atmosphere
• Venus


  hottest planet in the solar system; slowest rotation among the solar system's planets; Earth's "twin sister"
• Earth


  only known planet in the universe that supports life; within the "Goldilocks zone" maintaining water to remain liquid
• Mars


  the red planet, its reddishness resulting from abundant presence of iron oxide
• Jupiter


  largest planet in the solar system; a gas giant mainly composed of hydrogen and helium; famous for its "Great Red Spot"
• Saturn


  also a gas giant; known for its " ring system"
• Uranus


  a gas giant; methane ice responsible for its bluish color; coldest planet
• Neptune


  a gas giant; farthest planet from the sun; only planet not visible to the naked eye
• Pluto


  dwarf planet; a year in Pluto is equal to 248 Earth years
• Earth's moon


  Earth's only natural satellite; brightest object in the night sky
• asteroids


  "minor planets"; rocky objects that orbit the sun
• meteoroid


  smaller that asteroids; "space rocks"
• meteor


  meteoroids entering the Earth's atmosphere at high speed burning up; also referred to as "shooting stars"
• meteorite


  a fragment of an asteroid, comet, or meteoroid that survived its passage through the atmosphere and reached Earth's surface
• Polaris


  north star; the tip of Little Dipper's "handle"
• Sirius


  brightest star int he night sky; "Dog Star"
• Ursa Major


  Big Bear; contains the Big Dipper
• Ursa Minor


  Little Bear; contains the Little Dipper
• Canis Major


  Big Dog; contains Sirius
• Canis Minor


  Little Bear
• Orion


  The Hunter
• Tres Marias or Three Marias


  form the belt of constellation Orion
• Proxima Centauri


  closest star to Earth but to small to be seen in the night sky
• Alpha Centauri


  closest star in the Earth that can be seen in the naked eye
• Pegasus


  The Winged Horse
• Light Year


  the distance light travels in one year
• Milky Way


  the galaxy where the solar system belongs in
• Black Hole


  areas in space with a very strong gravitaional field that even light cannot escape