As with any field of scientific study, astronomy has a long list of important terminology. So we've put together this glossary where you can check you fully understand the meaning of the common terms, as well as some of the more unusual words.
A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Y -- Z
Words beginning with 'W' :
Waning : when the Moon illumination reduces.
Waxing : when the Moon illumination grows.
White dwarf : the end point of low mass to intermediate mass stars. Once all its helium has been converted to carbon, the core contracts but the temperature needed to ignite the carbon core is not reached and instead all the electrons are squeezed in to the smallest possible space. White dwarf stars are very dense, small and faint.
Resources :
To support the quizzes in each section, we've put together some extra resources to provide further information:
- Articles - Alongside the quizzes, you'll find short articles on related topics, to help widen your knowledge of that area.
- Glossary - As with any field of scientific study astronomy has a long list of important terminology. So we've put together a glossary where you can check you fully understand the meaning of the more unusual words!