Space Unit Vocabulary

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Across
  1. 1. The galaxy that contains our Solar System. It's a spiral-shaped collection of stars.
  2. 4. The force that attracts objects toward each other, especially the pull of Earth that makes things fall.
  3. 7. The path an object takes as it moves around another object in space.
  4. 9. Higher high tides and lower low tides that occur when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned in a straight line.
  5. 10. A small rocky object that orbits the Sun.
  6. 13. The angle at which a planet's axis is tilted compared to its orbit around the Sun.
  7. 14. The different times of the year (spring, summer, fall, winter) that have varying weather, caused by the Earth’s axial tilt as it orbits the Sun.
  8. 15. An imaginary line that a planet spins around. For Earth, this line goes through the North and South Poles.
  9. 17. A small piece of rock or dust when it hits the ground.
  10. 18. How heavy something is because of the gravitational pull on it.
  11. 19. Tiny particles of matter floating in space or on planets, moons, and other surfaces.
  12. 20. A moon that appears to get larger each night, from the new moon to full moon.
  13. 22. Everything that exists, including all galaxies, stars, planets, and space.
  14. 24. The star at the center of our solar system that provides light and heat to the planets.
  15. 26. Sunlight that hits the Earth at a shallow angle, making it weaker and cooler.
  16. 28. When the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, and the Earth's shadow falls on the Moon, making it look dark.
  17. 30. Half of the Earth, either Northern or Southern.
  18. 32. A natural object that orbits a planet.
Down
  1. 2. A moon that appears to get smaller each night, from the full moon to new moon.
  2. 3. The region around a star where conditions might be just right for life, not too hot or too cold, but just right.
  3. 5. The spinning of a planet around its axis.
  4. 6. The layer of gasses surrounding a planet or moon.
  5. 8. A huge group of stars, dust, gas, and other objects bound together by gravity.
  6. 11. Shaped like an oval or a slightly stretched circle.
  7. 12. The movement of an object in a circular or elliptical path around another object, one year.
  8. 16. A small icy object that orbits the Sun. When close to the Sun, it has a bright head and a tail that points away from the Sun.
  9. 17. The amount of matter in an object.
  10. 19. Sunlight that hits the Earth at a steep angle, making it stronger and warmer.
  11. 21. Substances like air that can spread out and fill any space available.
  12. 23. The different shapes of the visible part of the Moon from Earth, which change in a cycle every month.
  13. 25. When the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the Sun's light for a short time.
  14. 27. Tides with the least difference between high and low tides, which happen when the Sun and Moon are at right angles to each other.
  15. 29. A small piece of rock or dust that burns up when it enters Earth's atmosphere, often seen as a shooting star.
  16. 31. A large object that orbits a star (like our Sun) and doesn’t produce its own light.