Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory

No telescope? No problem! You can study astronomy any place, any time. Expand your knowledge of stars, planets, and galaxies with this list of words related to space science.
139 words 3561 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. absorb
    suck or take up or in
  2. asteroid
    a small celestial body composed of rock and metal
  3. asteroid belt
    the region of interplanetary space between Mars and Jupiter where most asteroids are found
  4. astronomer
    a physicist who studies celestial bodies and the universe
  5. astronomy
    the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies
  6. atmosphere
    the envelope of gases surrounding any celestial body
  7. 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
  8. Big Dipper
    a group of seven bright stars in the constellation Ursa Major
  9. black hole
    a region of space resulting from the collapse of a star
  10. brightness
    the quality of being luminous; emitting or reflecting light
  11. celestial body
    a natural object visible in the sky
  12. Celsius scale
    a temperature scale that defines the freezing point of water as 0 degrees and the boiling point of water as 100 degrees
  13. comet
    a small frozen mass that travels around the sun
  14. constellation
    a configuration of stars as seen from the earth
  15. core
    the center of an object
  16. corona
    the outermost region of the sun's atmosphere
  17. cosmology
    metaphysical study of the origin and nature of the universe
  18. cosmos
    the universe considered as a whole
  19. crater
    a depression formed by the impact of a meteorite or bomb
  20. cycle
    a periodically repeated sequence of events
  21. cyclical
    recurring in a repeated sequence of events
  22. debris
    the remains of something that has been destroyed
  23. direction
    relation between something and the course on which it moves
  24. distance
    the property created by the space between two objects
  25. earth
    the third planet from the sun
  26. eclipse
    the phenomenon when one celestial body obscures another
  27. element
    a substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances
  28. elliptical
    rounded like an egg
  29. emit
    give off, send forth, or discharge
  30. energy
    any source of usable power
  31. eternity
    time without end
  32. expand
    extend in one or more directions
  33. Fahrenheit
    of or relating to a temperature scale proposed by the inventor of the mercury thermometer
  34. force
    physical energy or intensity
  35. full moon
    the time when the Moon is fully illuminated
  36. galaxy
    a collection of star systems
  37. 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)
  38. gas
    state of matter distinguished from solid and liquid states
  39. gas giant
    any of the four outermost planets in the solar system
  40. gibbous
    (used of the moon) more than half full
  41. gravity
    the force of attraction between all masses in the universe
  42. harvest moon
    the full moon nearest the September equinox
  43. heliocentric
    having the sun as or in the middle
  44. hemisphere
    half of the terrestrial globe
  45. high tide
    the tide when the water is highest
  46. hypothesis
    a tentative insight that is not yet verified or tested
  47. interstellar
    between or among stars
  48. iron
    a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element
  49. Isaac Newton
    English mathematician and physicist
  50. Jupiter
    the largest planet and the 5th from the sun
  51. leap year
    a year with 366 days that occurs every four years
  52. life cycle
    a series of stages through which an organism passes
  53. lifespan
    the period during which a person, animal, or object exists
  54. light
    electromagnetic radiation that can produce visual sensation
  55. light year
    the distance that light travels in a vacuum in 1 year
  56. Little Dipper
    a cluster of seven stars in Ursa Minor
  57. low tide
    the lowest (farthest) ebb of the tide
  58. luminous
    softly bright or radiant
  59. lunar
    of or relating to or associated with the moon
  60. lunar eclipse
    when the earth interrupts light shining on the moon
  61. lunar module
    a spacecraft that carries astronauts from the command module to the surface of the moon and back
  62. magnify
    make large
  63. mare
    a dark region of considerable extent on the surface of the moon
  64. Mars
    a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
  65. mass
    the property of a body that causes it to have weight
  66. matter
    that which has mass and occupies space
  67. Mercury
    the smallest planet and the nearest to the sun
  68. meteor
    a mass that enters earth's atmosphere, becoming incandescent
  69. meteorite
    a stony or metallic object from space that hits the earth
  70. meteoroid
    a small piece of rock or metal moving through outer space
  71. meteor shower
    a transient shower of meteors when a meteor swarm enters the earth's atmosphere
  72. Milky Way
    the galaxy containing the solar system
  73. month
    one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
  74. moon
    the natural satellite of the Earth
  75. motion
    the act of changing location from one place to another
  76. NASA
    an independent agency of the United States government responsible for aviation and spaceflight
  77. nebula
    an immense cloud of gas and dust in interstellar space
  78. Neptune
    a giant planet with a ring of ice particles
  79. new moon
    the phase in which the moon is in conjunction with sun and is invisible or appears as a narrow waxing crescent
  80. Nicolaus Copernicus
    Polish astronomer who produced a workable model of the solar system with the sun in the center (1473-1543)
  81. North Pole
    the northernmost point of the Earth's axis
  82. North Star
    the brightest star in Ursa Minor
  83. nova
    a star that ejects some of its material in the form of a cloud and become more luminous in the process
  84. observatory
    a building equipped to view astronomical phenomena
  85. orbit
    the path of a celestial body in its revolution about another
  86. outer planet
    a major planet whose orbit is outside the asteroid belt
  87. oxygen
    a colorless, odorless gas that is essential for respiration
  88. phase
    the particular appearance of a body's state of illumination
  89. planet
    a celestial body that revolves around the sun
  90. plasma
    a fourth state of matter distinct from solid, liquid or gas
  91. Pluto
    a dwarf planet with an elliptical orbit
  92. pole
    either of the two endpoints of the Earth's axis of rotation
  93. position
    the particular part of space occupied by something
  94. primordial
    having existed from the beginning
  95. red giant
    a large, old, luminous star
  96. reflect
    throw or bend back from a surface
  97. reflection
    the phenomenon of a wave being thrown back from a surface
  98. revolution
    a single complete turn
  99. revolve
    turn on or around an axis or a center
  100. ring
    a toroidal shape
  101. rotate
    turn on or around an axis or a center
  102. rotation
    the act of turning as if on an axis
  103. satellite
    any celestial body orbiting around a planet or star
  104. Saturn
    a giant planet that is surrounded by three planar concentric rings of ice particles; the 6th planet from the sun
  105. scale
    an ordered reference standard
  106. season
    one of the natural periods into which the year is divided by the equinoxes and solstices or atmospheric conditions
  107. solar
    relating to the sun or utilizing the energies of the sun
  108. solar eclipse
    when the moon interrupts light from the sun
  109. solar system
    the sun with the celestial bodies that revolve around it
  110. South Pole
    the southernmost point of the Earth's axis
  111. space
    the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
  112. space shuttle
    a reusable spacecraft with wings for a controlled descent through the Earth's atmosphere
  113. space station
    a manned artificial satellite in a fixed orbit designed for scientific research
  114. speed
    a rate at which something happens
  115. spiral galaxy
    a large system of stars arranged in a curved pattern around a center
  116. star
    a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy
  117. star chart
    a chart showing the relative positions of the stars in a particular part of the sky
  118. stellar
    being or relating to or resembling or emanating from stars
  119. Sun
    the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
  120. supergiant
    an extremely bright star of very large diameter and low density
  121. supernova
    a star that explodes and becomes luminous in the process
  122. surface
    the outermost level of the land or sea
  123. system
    a group of independent elements comprising a unified whole
  124. telescope
    a magnifier of images of distant objects
  125. theory
    a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the world
  126. tide
    the periodic rise and fall of the sea level
  127. tilt
    incline or bend from a vertical position
  128. time
    the continuum of experience in which events pass to the past
  129. universe
    everything that exists anywhere
  130. Uranus
    a giant planet with a ring of ice particles
  131. vacuum
    a region that is devoid of matter
  132. Venus
    the second nearest planet to the sun
  133. wane
    decrease in phase
  134. waning
    of the period when the visible surface of the moon decreases
  135. wax
    increase in phase
  136. waxing
    (of the moon) pertaining to the period during which the visible surface of the moon increases
  137. weight
    the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
  138. white dwarf
    a faint star of enormous density
  139. year
    the period of time that it takes for a planet (as, e.g., Earth or Mars) to make a complete revolution around the sun
Created on Wed Dec 21 11:31:27 EST 2016 (updated Mon Jul 09 08:51:47 EDT 2018)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.