Astrophysics Terms

noun a subatomic particle such as an electron or a proton

adjective relating to elementary particles

• An elementary particle is a subatomic particle with no substructure.
• Scientists study tiny things called elementary particles to understand the building blocks of the universe.
• You won't believe how small elementary particles are!
• In the grand scheme of the universe, we are all just like elementary particles moving around in chaos.

noun the point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is nearest to the earth.

• The perigee is the point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is nearest to the earth.
• The satellite will be closest to the earth at perigee.
• When the moon is at perigee, it looks huge in the sky!
• Reaching the perigee of his career, he was at the peak of success.

noun a small sealed and pressurized cabin or container in which astronauts are transported into space

• The space capsule successfully returned to Earth after its mission to the International Space Station.
• Did you see that cool space capsule launch yesterday?
• That space capsule is out of this world!
• Her mind was like a space capsule, full of endless possibilities and exploration.

noun a type of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays

• Exposure to ultraviolet rays can cause damage to the skin.
• Make sure you wear sunscreen to protect yourself from those UV rays.
• I got a nasty sunburn from not using any sunblock against those UV rays.
• The ultraviolet rays of truth revealed the hidden secrets of the company.

noun a rapid descent or decrease in speed

verb to decrease in speed or intensity through spinning or rotation

• The technician needed to spin down the machine before performing maintenance.
• Can you spin down the music a bit? It's too loud.
• I told him to spin down the drama and just relax.
• She needed to spin down her emotions before making a decision.

noun a device that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to high speeds and to contain them in well-defined beams

• The particle accelerator at CERN is one of the largest in the world.
• Have you seen that cool video of the particle accelerator in action?
• Dude, the particle accelerator is like something out of a sci-fi movie!
• Her brain was like a particle accelerator, processing information at lightning speed.

noun A noun is a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. In this case, 'crater' is a noun that refers to a bowl-shaped cavity on the surface of a planet or moon, typically caused by an impact.

adjective An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun. In this case, 'adventive' is an adjective that describes the type of crater, indicating that it is formed through an external force or influence.

• The geologists studied the adventive crater that formed after the volcanic eruption.
• Check out the cool adventive crater left behind by the volcano!
• That adventive crater is lit!
• Her anger erupted like an adventive crater, causing chaos all around.

noun the branch of physics and engineering that deals with the interaction of gases at very high temperatures

• The study of aerothermodynamics plays a crucial role in the design of hypersonic vehicles.
• Aerothermodynamics is all about how things move through the air really fast.
• Yo, aerothermodynamics is like the science of stuff flying super fast in the sky.
• Understanding aerothermodynamics is like unlocking the secrets of how to make things soar through the atmosphere effortlessly.