Astronomy, Chapter 1 Terms

The scientific study of planets, stars, galaxies, and the universe as a whole.

Objects made of particles that have mass, such as protons, neutrons, and electrons; anything that occupies space and has mass.

The conserved quantity that gives objects and systems the ability to do work.

The galaxy in which our Sun and Solar System reside.

The small group of galaxies of which the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy are members.

A large conglomeration of galaxy clusters and galaxy groups, usually containing tens of thousands of galaxies.

All electromagnetic radiation.

The rate of change of an object's position with time.

The subject relating to the genesis of the universe and life.

An interdisciplinary science combining astronomy, biology, and geology to study life in the cosmos.

The search for the rules that govern the behavior of the universe and the explanation of observed phenomena in terms of those rules.

The formal procedure -- including hypothesis, prediction, and experiment or observation -- used to test (attempt to falsify) the validity of scientific hypotheses and theories.

The word frequently used by scientists to denote the physical universe.

The assumption that the same physical laws that apply here also apply everywhere and at all times, and that there are no special locations or directions in the universe.

The science and language of patterns.