Astronomy Vocab

3. A group of space objects that work together or are held together by gravity, like our Solar System.
4. pollution The "glow" from city streetlights that makes the sky too bright to see the faint stars.
7. The real science of studying planets, stars, and galaxies using math, physics, and giant telescopes.
9. of light The fastest speed possible. It’s like a cosmic speed limit—nothing in the universe can move faster than light.
10. A "connect-the-dots" shape in the stars that everyone recognizes, like the Big Dipper in Ursa Major.
12. To orbit in a giant circle around something else. The Earth takes one year to do this around the sun.
14. Half of a sphere. Earth is divided into the Northern and Southern.
17. Which way you are facing or tilted. In a planetarium, your orientation changes if you lean your seat back to look at the ceiling.
19. A fancy word for anything located in space or the sky.
20. What is actually happening in space (like the Earth spinning).
21. period Word for how long it takes a planet to make one full lap around the Sun.

1. Something that sounds like science but doesn't follow the rules of testing and proof (like "fake" science).
2. Not a measure of time, but a measure of distance! It’s how far light can travel in one whole year (about 6 trillion miles).
3. Model, A "mini" version of space that keeps the right proportions. If Earth were the size of a marble, a scale model would show exactly how many miles away the moon marble should be.
5. The place where the ground meets the sky. In a planetarium, it's the bottom edge of the dome.
6. The non-scientific belief that the position of the stars can predict your personality or what will happen in your day.
7. The imaginary stick or pole that a planet spins around. Earth’s axis is slightly tilted, which is why we have seasons.
8. To spin in place like a basketball on your finger. This is what the Earth does once every 24 hours to give us day and night.
11. How things look different depending on where you are. From our perspective on Earth, the stars look tiny, but they are actually giant suns.
13. One of the 88 puzzle pieces of the sky.
15. A daily prediction for your life based on your Zodiac sign.
16. The point exactly, perfectly straight up above your head in the sky.
18. What looks like it's happening (like the Sun "rising" in the morning).