Earth and Space - Definitions

The turning of the Earth about its own axis (between the North and South Poles)

The curved path of a celestial object or spacecraft about a star or planet

Moon shapes observed in repeated patterns of changes

The regular rise and fall of water level of the ocean, in a cycle close to twelve and a half hours

Very high tide that occurs when there is a new or full moon.

A weaker high and low tide that occurs when the sun and moon are not in the same line as the Earth.

Cccurs when the Earth moves between the sun and the moon so that some or all of the moon’s surface does not receive light from the sun and cannot be seen

Occurs when the moon moves between the Earth and the sun and prevents some or all of the sun’s light reaching a place on Earth. The part of the sun from which no light is received is not visible

Occurs when the moon moves between the Earth and the sun so that all of the sun’s light to a place on Earth is blocked by the moon

Occurs when the moon moves between the sun and the Earth. Because it is smaller, it blocks only the light from the central part of the sun, so that a ring of sunlight is seen

Substances that make up rocks. Each mineral has its own chemical make-up

A substance that contains minerals of values, that can be obtained by mining

The process of removing mineral ore from the ground

A method of mining mineral ores that are close to the surface — a large hole is made to expose the rocks, which are then broken up using explosives

A method of mining mineral ores that are deep below the surface, using shafts and tunnels dug deep into the ground to access the mineral ore