Vocabulary
What is an astronomer?
A scientist who studies stars, planets, and other objects in the universe.
Do we see different stars at different times of year?
Yes, we see different stars throughout the year. Every year on the same date, we see the same stars.
In our solar system, what orbits the sun?
Planets
How many seasons do we have?
4
Name a way we can make investigations about space.
We can observe and use models.
What is gravity?
The pull between Earth and other objects, which acts even without touching.
Where are the stars in space?
Stars are very far away from Earth in every direction.
The sun is the only star in our solar system. True or False?
True
Name the different seasons.
If the Earth is spinning, which way is up?
Up is away from the ground, anywhere on Earth.
What is a constellation?
Why don't we see a lot of stars in the daytime?
The sun is too bright.
Why does the sun look bigger and brighter than the other stars in the sky?
It is much closer to Earth than other stars.
At what time a shadow the shortest?
Noon
Why do we see different phases of the moon?
The moon orbits around the earth. The moon's position determines the phase we see.
What is an orbit?
To move in a regular path around something.
What causes the yearly pattern of stars that we see?
Earth orbits the sun as it spins.
Earth's position in its yearly orbit determine which stars we see in the night sky.
Does the earth orbit the sun or does the sun orbit the earth?
The earth orbits the sun.
When are the two times of the day where the shadow is the longest?
When the sun rises (dusk) and when the sun sets (dawn).
What do you call the moon phase that looks like a finger nail?
waxing or waning crescent
What is scientific explanation of a "year"?
Why is it that every year on the same date, we see the same stars?
The earth rotates around the sun, so the earth's position in its yearly orbit determines which stars we see in the night sky.
What causes the daily pattern of when we see the sun and other stars?
Earth spins once each day. We face the sun in the daytime, and we face away fro the sun at nighttime.
How do we have seasons?
The Earth's axis is slightly tilted in relation to its orbit around the Sun.
If more of the hemisphere is exposed to the sun, it is summer. If less of the hemisphere is exposed to the sun, it is winter.
Name 5 moon phases.
New moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent