Earth Science Vocabulary – All – Flashcards
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Weather
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the condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place
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Climate
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the average, year-after-year conditions of temperature, precipitation, winds, and clouds in an area
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Meteorologists
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scientists who study the causes of weather and try to predict it
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Atmosphere
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the envelope of gases that surrounds Earth
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Ozone
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a form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of the usual two
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Pressure
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the amount of force pushing on an area
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Air Pressure
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the pressure caused by the weight of a column of air pushing down on an area
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Barometer
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an instrument used to measure changes in air pressure
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Greenhouse effect
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the process by which heat is trapped in the atmosphere by gases that form a "blanket" around the Earth
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Temperature
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a measure of how hot or cold an object is compared to a reference point
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Wind
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the horizontal movement of air from an area of high pressure to an area of lower pressure
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Anemometer
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an instrument used to measure wind speed
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Wind-chill factor
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a measure of cooling combining temperature and wind speed
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Water Cycle
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the continual movement of water among Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land surface through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation
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Evaporation
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the process by which water molecules in liquid water escape into the air as water vapor
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Humidity
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the amount of water vapor in a given volume of air
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Relative Humidity
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the percentage of water vapor in the air compared to the maximum amount of water vapor that air can contain at a particular temperature
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Condensation
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the process by which molecules of water vapor in the air become liquid water
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Dew Point
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the temperature at which condensation begins
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Cirrus Clouds
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wispy, feathery clouds made of ice crystals that form at high levels
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Cumulus Clouds
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fluffy, white clouds, usually with flat bottoms, that look like rounded piles of cotton
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Stratus Clouds
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clouds that form in flat layers and often cover much of the sky
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Precipitation
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any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface
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Droughts
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long periods of low precipitation
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Rain Gauge
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an instrument used to measure precipitation
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Air Mass
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a huge body of air that has similar temperature, humidity, and air pressure at any given height
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Maritime
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Wet
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Continental
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Dry
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Tropical
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Warm
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Polar
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Cold
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Front
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the boundary where unlike air masses meet but do not mix (Cold, Warm, Stationary, Occluded)
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Storm
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a violent disturbance in the atmosphere
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Thunderstorm
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a small storm often accompanied by heavy precipitation and frequent thunder and lightning
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Lightning
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a sudden spark, or energy discharge, caused when electrical charges jump between parts of a cloud, between nearby clouds, or between a cloud and the ground
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Tornado
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a rapidly whirling, funnel-shaped cloud that reaches down to touch Earth's surface
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Hurricane
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a tropical storm that has winds of about 119 kilometers per hour or higher
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Storm Surge
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a "dome" of water that sweeps across the coast where a hurricane lands
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Transpiration
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the process by which plants release water vapor through their leaves
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Wave
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the movement of energy through a body of water
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Crest
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the highest point of a wave
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Trough
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the lowest point of a wave
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Wavelength
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the horizontal distance between two wave crests
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Wave Height
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the vertical distance from the crest of a wave to the trough
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Frequency
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the number of waves that pass a specific point in a given amount of time
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Longshore Drift
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the movement of sand along a beach; caused by waves coming into shore at an angle
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Sandbar
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a ridge of sand deposited by waves as they slow down near shore
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Rip Current
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a rush of water that flows rapidly back to sea through a narrow opening
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Groin
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a stone or concrete wall built out from a beach to reduce erosion
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Tsunami
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a giant wave caused by an earthquake on the ocean floor
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Tides
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the daily rise and fall of Earth's waters on shore
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Spring Tide
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a tide with the greatest difference between high an low tide that occurs when the sun and the moon are aligned in a line with Earth
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Neap Tide
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a tide with the least difference between high and low tide that occurs when the sun and moon pull at right angles to each other
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Salinity
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the total amount of dissolved salts in a water sample
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Oceanographer
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a scientist who studies the ocean
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Submersible
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an underwater vehicle built of strong materials to resist pressure at depth
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Current
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a large stream of moving water that flows through the ocean (surface currents caused mainly by winds; deep currents caused mainly by differences in density)
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Coriolis Effect
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the effect of Earth's rotation on the direction of winds and currents
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Climate
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the pattern of temperature and precipitation typical of an area over a long period of time
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Upwelling
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an upward flow of cold water from the ocean depths (brings nutrient rich waters to the surface)
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El Nino
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an abnormal climate event that occurs every 2 to 7 years in the Pacific Ocean, causing changes in winds, currents, and water patterns
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Sonar
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a systme that uses sound waves to calculate the distance to an object, which gets its name from sound navigation and ranging
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Continental Shelf
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a gently sloping, shallow area of the ocean floor that extends outward from the edge of a continent
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Continental Slope
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a steep incline leading down from the edge of the continental shelf
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Seamounts
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a mountain on the ocean floor that is completely underwater
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Abyssal Plains
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a smooth, nearly flat region of the deep ocean floor
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Mid-ocean Ridge
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the continuous range of mountains on the ocean floor that winds around Earth
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Trench
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a deep canyon in the ocean floor
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Plate
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one of the major pieces that make up Earth's upper layer
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Sea-floor Spreading
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the process by which new material is added to the ocean floor along the boundary between diverging plates
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Plankton
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tiny algae and animals that floast in water and are carried by waves and currents
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Nekton
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free-swimming animals that can move throughout the water column
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Benthos
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organisms that live on the bottom of the ocean or other body of water
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Food Web
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the feeding relationships in a haibitat
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Intertidal Zone
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the area that stretches from the highest high-tide line on land out to the point on the continental shelf exposed by the lowest low tide
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Estuary
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a coastal inlet or bay where fresh water from rivers mixes with salty ocean water
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Brackish
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water that is partly salty and partly fresh, characteristic of estuaries
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Neritic Zone
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the part of the ocean that extends from the low-tide line out to the edge of the continental shelf
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Open-ocean Zone
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the area of the ocean beyond the edge of the continental shelf
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Abyssal Zone
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an area in the open-ocean that extends to an average depth of 6000 meters
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Atoll
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a ring-shpaed coral island
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Bioluminescence
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the production of light by living things
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Hydrothermal Vent
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an area where ocean water sinks through cracks in the ocean floor, is heated by the underlying magma, and rises again through the cracks
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Aquaculture
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the framing of saltwater and freshwater organisms
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Nodules
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a lump fromed when metals such as manganese build up around pieces of shell on the ocean floor
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Penumbra
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the part of the moon's shadow that is less dark and larger than the umbra. A person standing here would see a partial solar eclipse
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Phases
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The different shapes of the moon you see from Earth are called ____. The ____ of the moon you see depends on how much of the sunlit side of the moon faces Earth.
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Autumnal Equinox
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Occurs in September and marks the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere
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Solstice
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The sun is directly overhead at 23.5 degrees north/south at this time.
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Latitude
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A measurement of distance from the equator (in N/S)
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Asteroid
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Small, rocky objects revolving around the sun
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Gas Giants
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name often given to the first four outer planets
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Astronomy
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the study of the moon, stars, planets, etc
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Meteoroid
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A chunk of rock/dust in space
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Meteorite
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A meteoroid that passes through the atmosphere and hits the surface of Earth
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Meteor
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A streak of light produced by the burning of a meteoroid (in the atmosphere)
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Asteroid Belt
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Region between Mars/Jupiter w/ many asteroids
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Eclipse
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____ occurs when an object in space comes between the sun and another object, and casts a shadow on the object.
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Comet
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loose collection of ice, dust, and small rocky particles w/ a long, narrow orbit
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Vernal Equinox
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Occurs in March and marks the beginning of spring in the Northern hemisphere
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Gravity
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the attractive force between two objects
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Terrestrial Planets
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Name given to the four inner planets (small, rocky, warm, solid, etc.)
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Axis
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The line passing through Earth's center/poles
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Lunar Eclipse
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a shadow is casted on the moon because Earth is blocking the sun from the moon
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Solar Eclipse
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a shadow is casted on Earth because the moon is blocking the sun from the Earth
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Umbra
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The darkest part of the moon's shadow. Standing here, a person would see a total solar eclipse
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Equinox
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sun is directly overhead at the equator
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Orbit
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The path of an object as it revolves around something else
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Rotation
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movement of Earth around its axis
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Revolution
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The movement of Earth around the sun
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Newton's 3rd Law
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For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction
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Newton's 2nd Law
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Force is proportional to the mass times the acceleration
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Force
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A push/pull exerted on an object
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Radio Telescope
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Tool used to study radio waves from space
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Perigee
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The point in an elliptical orbit closest to Earth
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Light-year
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The distance that light travels in one year (around 9.5 million million km)
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Satellite
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An object that revolves around another
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Escape velocity
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the velocity an object must acquire to fly beyond a planet/moon 's gravitational pull
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Mass
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amount of matter
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Weight
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the force of gravity on something
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Newton's 1st Law
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An object in motion tends to stay in motion while an object at rest will stay at rest, unless acted upon an outside force
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Inertia
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The tendency of something to resist a change in motion
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Thrust
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reaction force which propels a rocket forward
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Optical Telescope
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tool used to study light from distant objects
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Law of Universal Gravitation
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every object in the universe attracts every other object
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Telescope
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device built to observe distant objects (makes them appear closer.)
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Apogee
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the point in an elliptical orbit farthest from Earth
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Electronmagnetic Radiation
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Energy which travels through space in the form of waves
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Scientific Method
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a systematic approcah to problem solving
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Problem
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the scientific question to be solved (simple and solvable through experiments)
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Hypothesis
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a proposed explanation for a scientific problem
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Control
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an experiment run without a variable in order to show that any data from the experimental setup was due to the variabel being tested
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Variable
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the factor being tested in an experiment
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Data
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recorded observations/measurements
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Conclusion
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a summary of the results of the experiment and a statement of how the results relate to the hypothesis
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Theory
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a logical, time-tested explanation for events that occur in the natural world
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Law
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a summarizing statement of observed experimental facts that has been tested many times and is generally accepted as true by the scientific community
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Mineral
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a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition
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Inorganic
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not formed from living things or the remains of living things
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Crystal
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a solid in which the atoms are arranged in a pattern that repeats again and again
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Compound
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a substance in which two or more elements are chemically joined
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Mohs Hardness Scale
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a scale ranking ten minerals from softest to hardest
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Streak
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the color of a mineral's powder
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Luster
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the way a mineral reflects light from its surface
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Cleavage (minerals, no the other one:)
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a mineral's ability to split easily along flat surface
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Fracture
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the way a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way
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Fluorescence
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the property of a mineral in which the mineral glows under ultraviolet light
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Solution
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a mixture in which one substance is dissolved in another
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Gemstone
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a hard, colorful mineral that has a brilliant or glassy luster
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Ore
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a rock that contains a metal or economically useful mineral
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Alloy
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a solid mixture of two or more metals
