TOEFL IBT – Astronomy
Vocabulary is promordial in order to improve your TOEFL score. Remember, Preparation is the key to succeed !
This vocabulary will be useful if you ever take an astronomy course in school, for expanding your English vocabulary, or especially for any number of English language exams you may take. Here we will look at the most commonly used words in the field, along with their French translations.
asteroid |
rocky objects revolving around the sun that are too small and numerous to be considered planets |
If that should happen, the asteroid might eventually hit Earth. |
l’astéroïde |
astronomy |
the study of the Moon, stars, and other objects in space |
Though massive, these galaxies have escaped detection by conventional astronomy. |
l’astronomie |
axis |
an imaginary line that passes through Earth’s center and its North and South Poles |
Of course, the planet now rotates on a different axis. |
l’axe |
Big Bang |
theory that an explosion created the universe many billions of years ago |
In modern astronomy the Big Bang theory is the dominant postulation. |
le Big Bang |
black hole |
an object so massive and dense that even light cannot escape its gravity |
Nothing that happens inside a black hole matters to the outside world. |
le trou noir |
comet |
a ball of dust and ice that orbits the Sun |
What if the comet pieces that hit Jupiter had hit Earth? |
la comète |
constellation |
an imaginary pattern of stars in the sky |
Early Tuesday, the constellation will lie in the northeastern sky. |
la constellation |
dark matter |
matter that does not give off electromagnetic radiation but is quite abundant in the universe |
The final topic dealt with dark matter distribution in the Milky Way. |
la matière noire |
eclipse |
the partial or total blocking of one object in space by another |
Head for Cartagena in Colombia for total eclipse of the Sun. |
l’éclipse |
ellipse |
an elongated circle, or oval shape; shape of planetary orbits |
This is the major axis of the ellipse, its greatest diameter. |
l’ellipse |
equinox |
the first day of spring or fall when the Sun is directly over the Equator |
But fierce storms are no more likely around the equinox specifically. |
l’équinoxe |
galaxy |
a collection of stars, star systems, dust, and gas bound together by gravity |
Theorists believe such galaxies have supermassive black holes at their centers. |
la galaxie |
gravity |
the force of attraction between all masses in the universe |
But gravity will be enormously complicated to create on a spaceship. |
la gravitation |
light year |
the distance that light travels in one year; about 9.46 trillion kilometers |
The object is about 30 light years away in the constellation Ophiuchus. |
l’année-lumière |
lunar eclipse |
when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon and casts a shadow on the Moon |
Also, under special circumstances, a lunar eclipse can occur on the 12th. |
l’éclipse de lune |
mass |
the amount of matter in an object |
The mass of the Sun has decreased since the time it formed. |
la masse |
meteor |
a bright streak of light that results when a meteoroid burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere |
A meteor landing in the desert is news for a day. |
le météore |
nebula |
a huge cloud of dust and gas in space |
However, this would have created a shell around the nebula. |
la nébuleuse |
orbit |
the path of an object as it revolves around another object in space |
From that orbit, you can hardly see the horizon curve. |
l’orbite |
rotation |
the spinning motion of a planet on its axis |
All these techniques also serve to monitor Earth rotation irregularities as well as plate tectonic motions. |
la rotation |
solar eclipse |
when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth |
Looking at a solar eclipse with the naked eye can be dangerous. |
l’éclipse solaire |
solar wind |
a stream of electrically charged particles given off from the Sun |
This flood of electrically charged particles is known as the solar wind. |
le vent solaire |
solstice |
the time that Earth’s poles point at their greatest angle toward or away from the Sun |
The calendar suggests the solstice is still a long way off. |
le solstice |
tide |
the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the Moon |
I think the tides have a lot to do with it. |
la marée |
universe |
all of space and everything in it |
How could the universe be younger than some of its components? |
l’univers |
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- TOEFL vocabulary list: all the essential words you need to know