Solar System
What model places the Earth at the center?
Geocentric model
What causes day and night?
The rotation of the Earth on its axis
What is the Winter Solstice?
The shortest day of the year, marking the start of winter.
What is a New Moon?
The phase of the moon when it is not visible from Earth.
What is nuclear fusion?
The process where two hydrogen atoms combine to form helium under extreme conditions in the sun's core.
What is the shape of planetary orbits?
Ellipses
What does eccentricity measure?
How elongated a closed circle is
What causes the seasons?
The tilt of the Earth's axis.
What causes tides?
The gravitational pull of the moon (and sun) on Earth.
How does energy reach Earth?
It travels from the sun's core, through its layers to the surface, and then into space as electromagnetic radiation.
Name the four terrestrial planets.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
What is precession?
The tracing out of a cone by Earth’s axis over 26,000 years
What is the Summer Solstice?
The longest day of the year, marking the start of summer.
What are Spring Tides?
Tides that occur when the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned, resulting in higher tidal ranges.
What are electromagnetic waves?
A range of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun.
What is a solar nebula?
A giant cloud of gas and dust in space
What is Kepler's 2nd Law?
Planets travel faster when closer to the sun and slower when farther away
What happens during an Equinox?
Day and night last approximately 12 hours each.
What is tidal range?
The difference in height between high tide and low tide.
Why are shorter wavelengths more energetic?
Because they possess more energy compared to longer wavelengths.
What is the Nebular Hypothesis?
Explanation of how our solar system formed
What is Kepler's 3rd Law?
Orbital periods are proportional to a planet's distance from the sun
Why is summer warmer than winter?
The sun's rays hit the Earth at a more direct angle during summer.
What is the cycle of moon phases?
It takes about 29.5 days to complete a cycle from New Moon to New Moon.
What types of electromagnetic waves reach Earth's surface?
Only visible light, some ultraviolet light, and infrared and radio waves.