Ever feel like you need a translator when reading about space exploration? This glossary is your handy guide to understanding common space terms.
**Apogee/Perigee:** These describe the highest and lowest points in an orbit, respectively. Think of apogee as 'away' and perigee as 'peri' close.
**Asteroid:** Rocky leftovers from the solar system's formation, mainly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
**Black Hole:** A region of spacetime with gravity so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape.
**Constellation:** A group of stars forming a recognizable pattern, named after mythological figures or objects.
**Galaxy:** A massive system of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity. Our galaxy is the Milky Way.
**Light-Year:** The distance light travels in one year – a whopping 9.461 trillion kilometers! Used to measure vast cosmic distances.
**Nebula:** A giant cloud of gas and dust in space, often the birthplace of stars.
**Orbit:** The curved path of an object around a celestial body due to gravity.
**Quasar:** An extremely luminous active galactic nucleus, powered by a supermassive black hole.
With this glossary, you're one step closer to becoming a space expert. Keep exploring and learning!
