angle: The space (usually measured in degrees) between two intersecting lines or surfaces at or close to the point where they meet.
biology: The study of living things. The scientists who study them are known as biologists.
celestial: (in astronomy) Of or relating to the sky, or outer space.
celestial object: Any naturally formed objects of substantial size in space. Examples include comets, asteroids, planets, moons, stars and galaxies.
cell: (in biology) The smallest structural and functional unit of an organism. Typically too small to see with the unaided eye, it consists of a watery fluid surrounded by a membrane or wall. Depending on their size, animals are made of anywhere from thousands to trillions of cells. Most organisms, such as yeasts, molds, bacteria and some algae, are composed of only one cell.
cloud: A plume of molecules or particles, such as water droplets, that move under the action of an outside force, such as wind, radiation or water currents. (in atmospheric science) A mass of airborne water droplets and ice crystals that travel as a plume, usually high in Earth’s atmosphere. Its movement is driven by winds.
computer program: A set of instructions that a computer uses to perform some analysis or computation. The writing of these instructions is known as computer programming.
cones: (in biology) A type of eye cell that is part of the retina inside the back of the eye. These cells can sense red, green or blue light. Recent research has uncovered evidence that many can sense white light — but only white light.
constellation: Patterns formed by prominent stars that appear to lie close to each other in the night sky. Modern astronomers divide the sky into 88 constellations, 12 of which (known as the zodiac) lie along the sun’s path through the sky over the course of a year. Cancri, the original Greek name for the constellation Cancer, is one of those 12 zodiac constellations.
data: Facts and/or statistics collected together for analysis but not necessarily organized in a way that gives them meaning. For digital information (the type stored by computers), those data typically are numbers stored in a binary code, portrayed as strings of zeros and ones.
degree: (in geometry) A unit of measurement for angles. Each degree equals one three-hundred-and-sixtieth of the circumference of a circle.
diameter: The length of a straight line that runs through the center of a circle or spherical object, starting at the edge on one side and ending at the edge on the far side.
fatigue: The feeling of being tired, listless or short on energy.
glue: A sticky substance that attaches one material to another.
illusion: A thing that is or is likely to be wrongly perceived or interpreted by the senses.
information: (as opposed to data) Facts provided or trends learned about something or someone, often as a result of studying data.
monitor: To test, sample or watch something, especially on a regular or ongoing basis.
moon: The natural satellite of any planet.
numerical: Having to do with numbers.
phenomenon: Something that is surprising or unusual.
retina: A layer at the back of the eyeball containing cells that are sensitive to light and that trigger nerve impulses that travel along the optic nerve to the brain, where a visual image is formed.
square: (in geometry) A rectangle with four sides of equal length.
sun: The star at the center of Earth’s solar system. It is about 27,000 light-years from the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Also a term for any sunlike star.
theory: (in science) A description of some aspect of the natural world based on extensive observations, tests and reason. A theory can also be a way of organizing a broad body of knowledge that applies in a broad range of circumstances to explain what will happen. Unlike the common definition of theory, a theory in science is not just a hunch. Ideas or conclusions that are based on a theory — and not yet on firm data or observations — are referred to as theoretical. Scientists who use mathematics and/or existing data to project what might happen in new situations are known as theorists.