Vocabulary for IELTS Academic (Band 6-7) - Astronomy

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

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

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

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

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

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

(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

a planet that is outside the solar system

the displacement of the spectrum of an astronomical object toward shorter wavelengths, indicating motion toward the observer

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

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

the scientific study of how the universe is created, its development, and how it is going to end

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

a type of galaxy characterized by its smooth, nearly featureless brightness profile and ellipsoidal shape, lacking significant spiral arms or disk-like structures

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

a galaxy that lacks a distinct, regular shape or structure, often appearing chaotic and asymmetrical

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

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

an astronaut from Russia or the former Soviet Union

a layer of charged particles, primarily electrons and protons, held in place around a celestial body by its magnetic field

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