Atmosphere: The outer layer of gas that surrounds Earth or another planet or moon.
Aurora: A light show in the sky caused by high-energy particles from the Sun colliding with gas molecules in a planet’s upper atmosphere. The best known is Earth’s Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. Some of the outer gas planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn, have fast rotation speeds and strong magnetic fields that generate high electrical currents in the upper atmosphere at the planet’s poles. This, too, can cause an Aurora “light” show in the upper atmosphere.
Average: (scientific term) A term for the arithmetic mean, which is the sum of a set of numbers divided by the size of that group.
Develop: Appearing or coming into existence naturally or through human intervention such as manufacture.
Current: The flow of electric charge (electricity), usually caused by the movement of negatively charged particles called electrons.
Electronic: Negatively charged particles that usually orbit the outer regions of atoms and are also carriers of electricity in solids.
Hurricane: A tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and has wind speeds of 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour or more. When such a storm occurs in the Pacific Ocean, it is called a typhoon.
Ionosphere: A layer of Earth’s atmosphere 75 to 1,000 kilometers (47 to 620 miles) above the Earth’s surface. It absorbs the sun’s harmful extreme ultraviolet radiation. The energy strips electrons from atoms and molecules, creating regions filled with free-floating ions. The proportion of ions present here affects radio and other signals that pass through it.
Magnetic field: A field of influence created by certain substances called magnets, or by the movement of electric charges.
Parallel: An adjective describing two things that are next to each other and have the same distance between their parts. The last two letters of the word “all” are parallel lines. Or, two things, events, or processes that have a lot in common when compared side by side.
Particle: A trace of something.
Physics: Classical physics is the scientific study of the nature and properties of matter and energy. Classical physics describes the nature and properties of matter and energy based on statements such as Newton’s laws of motion. A later branch of study, quantum physics, is a more precise way of describing the motion and behavior of matter. Scientists working in this field: Physicist.
Plasma: (in chemistry and physics) The gaseous state of matter in which electrons have separated from atoms. Plasma contains both positively and negatively charged particles. (in medicine) The colorless liquid portion of blood.
Polar: (in Earth sciences and astronomy) [amended “Very”] The cold regions of Earth farthest from the equator; the upper and lower ends of the imaginary axis about which the heavens rotate.
Radiation: (physics) One of the three main ways energy is transferred. (The other two are conduction and convection.) In radiation, electromagnetic waves carry energy from one place to another. Unlike conduction and convection, which require matter to transfer the energy, radiation can transfer energy into empty space.
Satellite: A satellite that orbits a planet, or a vehicle or other man-made object that orbits a celestial body in space.
Solar wind: A stream of charged particles (including atomic nuclei) emitted from the surface of a star, such as the Sun, that permeates the entire solar system. When it comes from a star other than the Sun, this radiation is called the stellar wind.
Tropical cyclone: A strong rotating storm that usually occurs in tropical regions near the equator where the waters are warmer. Tropical cyclones have strong winds of more than 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour and are usually accompanied by heavy rainfall. Large ones that occur in the Atlantic are called hurricanes, and those in the Pacific are called typhoons.
Source: www.snexplores.org
