Science Crossword

3. the phase of the lunar cycle after a Full Moon and before a New Moon, where the illuminated portion of the moon appears to decrease in size, moving from fully lit to completely shadowed
4. a regular, repeating curved path that an object or celestial body, such as a planet, moon, or satellite, takes around another body, such as a star or planet
8. a shape that is an elongated circle or oval
11. the innermost, darkest part of a shadow, where the light source is completely blocked by an occluding object
14. the lighter, grayish outer part of a shadow that surrounds the darkest part (the umbra), where a light source is only partially obscured
15. the colossal, incredibly bright explosion of a star at the end of its life, which momentarily outshines an entire galaxy
17. the outermost, tenuous layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, extending millions of kilometers into space
18. to move in a circle or orbit around a central point, or to turn on an axis
19. anything of, relating to, or resembling the Moon
20. a vast, interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium, and other ionized gases located in outer space

1. the phase of the lunar cycle when the illuminated portion of the moon appears to increase in size, occurring between the new moon and the full moon
2. the luminous, visible surface layer of the Sun or a star
5. a real or imaginary straight line around which an object rotates
6. a rotating system composed of a flat, spinning disk containing stars, gas, and dust, along with a dense, bright central bulge
7. a celestial body composed primarily of silicate rocks, metals, or a solid surface, similar to Earth
9. a unit of length used by astronomers to measure distances within our solar system the average distance from the Earth to the Sun
10. a moment in time, occurring twice yearly (around March 20–21 and September 22–23), when the sun stands directly above Earth's equator
12. an astronomical event occurring twice yearly (around June 20–22 and December 20–22) when the Sun reaches its farthest northern or southern point from the equator, appearing to stand still
13. a large planet composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, featuring a thick, gaseous atmosphere and no well-defined solid surface
16. a sudden, intense explosion of energy and radiation—including light, X-rays, and gamma rays—released from the Sun's surface, typically near sunspots