Earth, Moon, and Sun Vocab

a rocky sphere that travels around a planet

• sun
• moon
• planet
• exoplanet

the relative size of things

• size
• gradient
• scale
• pattern

the border between light and dark on the Moon

• orbit
• terminator
• scale
• illuminate

the shape of the illuminated part of the Moon as it appears from Earth

• moon phase
• light side of the moon
• moon
• maria

something we observe to be similar over and over again

• scale
• orbit
• model
• pattern

when the Moon is completely dark

• night
• lunar eclipse
• gibbous
• solar eclipse

Anytime after the new moon and before the full moon, called this because it’s illuminated area is increasing

• Waxing Moon
• Waning Moon

to shine light on an object and make it visible

• lunar eclipse
• illuminate
• visualize
• model

an object, diagram, or computer program that helps us understand something by making it simpler or easier to see

• model
• scale
• proportion
• absorb

Anytime after the full moon and before the new moon, called this because it’s illuminated area is decreasing

• Waxing Moon
• Waning Moon