Down
1. | When a celestial body moves in an orbit around another celestial body. |
3. | An area of dense, invisible matter in space. The gravitational attraction is so large in this that anything that enters will not escape. (2 words) |
5. | An instrument used by astronomers to study the light given off by stars. |
8. | The final stage of a star's life cycle, when no light is released from the star. (2 words) |
10. | A body, such as the moon, that revolves around a larger body. This may also be an artificial object that was sent into space to orbit another object. |
12. | A star may form from this cloud of gas and dust in space. |
15. | When a planet or other celestial body spins around itself or its axis. |
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Across
2. | All matter and energy that exists including Earth, stars, planets, and dust. |
4. | Earth's imaginary line that runs from the North Pole through the center of Earth to the South Pole. |
6. | Matter from a nebula that has begun to condense under the weight of gravity to begin the formation of a star. |
7. | A small celestial body that orbits the sun. This often has three parts: a nucelus, a coma, and a tail. |
9. | A large celestial body that revolves around a star and is larger than an asteroid. |
11. | A group of stars that form a pattern or shape. Ancient astronomers named these patterns after animals or from Greek mythology. |
13. | A path that a celestial body takes as it revolves around another celestial body. |
14. | This occurs when one celestial body passes through the shadow of another celestial body. |
16. | An instrument that makes distant objects seem larger. |
17. | The distance light travels in one Earth year. |
18. | A massive star that uses up all its fuel, rapidly contracts, and explodes. The explosion releases an enormous burst of energy. |
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