Academic IELTS Words for "Astronomy"

comet

noun

c

k

o

ɑ

m

e

ə

t

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an object in space that is a mass of ice and dust and when it nears the sun it starts illuminating in the shape of a tail

meteor

noun

m

e

i

t

eo

iɜ

r

a piece of rock coming from outer space that passes through the Earth's atmosphere, producing light

asteroid

noun

a

æ

s

t

e

ɜ

r

oi

ɔɪ

d

any of the rocky bodies orbiting the sun, ranging greatly in diameter, also found in large numbers between Jupiter and Mars

Nebula

noun

n

e

ɛ

b

u

j

ə

l

a

ə

a glowing cloud of gas and dust in outer space, often the result of a star explosion or formation

Grammatical Information:

Plural form

Nebulae

proper noun

aurora

noun

au

ɜ

r

o

ɔ

r

a

ə

a natural light display in the Earth's polar regions, caused by the collision of charged particles from the sun with atoms in the Earth's atmosphere

constellation

noun

c

k

o

ɑ

n

s

t

e

ə

ll

l

a

eɪ

t

ʃ

io

ə

n

a specific group of stars that form a pattern and have a name related to their shape

zodiac

noun

z

o

oʊ

d

ia

iæ

c

k

(astronomy) the celestial zone in the sky where the sun, moon, and planets appear to move, traditionally divided into twelve equal segments, each associated with a distinct name and symbol

exoplanet

noun

e

ɛ

x

gz

o

ɑ:

p

l

a

n

e

ɛ

t

a planet that is outside the solar system

white dwarf

noun

/wˈaɪt dwˈɔːɹf/

a small, dense, and faint stellar remnant that is left after a medium-sized star exhausts the nuclear fuel in its core and undergoes gravitational collapse

neutron star

noun

/nˈuːtɹɑːn stˈɑːɹ/

a highly dense and compact stellar remnant that remains after a massive star undergoes a supernova explosion, consisting almost entirely of neutrons

spiral galaxy

noun

/spˈaɪɚɹəl ɡˈælɐksi/

a type of galaxy characterized by a spiral-shaped structure, consisting of a central bulge surrounded by spiral arms that contain stars, gas, and dust

spectroscope

noun

s

p

e

ɛ

c

k

t

r

o

ə

s

c

k

o

oʊ

p

e

an optical instrument used for analyzing the spectrum of light, separating it into its individual wavelengths to identify and study the components of the light source

unidentified flying object

noun

/ˌjuˌɛˈfoʊ/

a mysterious object that some people claim to have seen flying around in the sky and assume that it is a spaceship from another world

Grammatical Information:

compound noun

space probe

noun

/spˈeɪs pɹˈoʊb/

an unmanned spacecraft designed to explore outer space, gather scientific data, and transmit it back to Earth

cosmonaut

noun

c

k

o

ɔ

s

z

m

o

ə

n

au

ɔ

t

an astronaut from Russia or the former Soviet Union

redshift

noun

r

e

ɛ

d

sh

ʃ

i

ɪ

f

t

the shift of light waves towards longer wavelengths, indicating the motion of an object away from the observer, commonly observed in the spectra of distant celestial bodies

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