Planets
Which two planets are nearest to the Sun
Mercury and Venus
What does diameter measure?
Straight across a sphere through its center
What force attracts objects with mass towards each other?
What do you call the changing appearances of the Moon's lit portion?
Lunar Phases
What imaginary line does Earth spin around?
Axis
What is one feature that distinguishes Terrestrial and Jovian planets?
Terrestrial are rocky, small, few moons, no rings, close to the Sun
Jovian are larger, gas/ice, many moons, all have rings, farther from the Sun
What is the purpose of a scale model?
To represent sizes or distances at the same distance/size even scaled down
What does mass measure?
The amount of matter in an object
What word means the visible lit portion is growing?
Waxing
What is the main cause of seasons?
Earth's tilt
A planet is very large and mostly hydrogen and helium. What planet group does it fit in?
Jovian planet
Which is larger: the Milky Way Galaxy or our solar system?
The Milky Way Galaxy
What changes when gravity changes: mass or weight?
Weight
About how long from one new moon to the next?
29.5 days (or about a month)
Summer
Why does composition help scientists classify a planet?
It tells what a planet is made of and helps distinguish rocky worlds from gas/ice giants
Order the following from smallest to largest: planet, galaxy, solar system, universe
Planet, solar system, galaxy, universe
About how long after a full moon does a new moon occur?
About 14-15 days, roughly 2 weeks
Why can the Northern and Southern hemispheres have opposite seasons?
One tilts towards the Sun and the other tilts away
The distances between planets vary greatly.
Why can a drawing about space mislead viewers about space?
If distances aren't drawn to scale, planets can look closer together or evenly spaced when they aren't.
A student says equal-mass planets must experience equal pull from the Sun. What factor is missing?
Distance
How is a solar eclipse different from a lunar eclipse?
A solar eclipse has the moon blocking the Sun from our view. A lunar eclipse has Earth's shadow falling on the Moon.
A student says summer happens because the Earth is closer to the Sun. Give a better explanation.
Seasons are caused by Earth's tilt