Earth/Sun
What creates day and night?
What is Earth's rotation on it's axis
What keeps the moon in the Earth's orbit?
Gravity and inertia, the same as what keeps the Earth in the sun's orbit.
Name the layers of the sun's interior and what they do.
core - innermost layer - makes energy radiation zone - middle layer- moves energy from core to convection zone convection zone - outermost layer; moves energy to surface of the sun
What creates tides here on Earth?
the moon's gravitational pull on the Earth's oceans
What is a comet made of and where does it come from?
made of ice and dirt; originates from Oort Cloud or Kuiper Belt.
Why do we have seasons?
Earth is tilted on its axis and revolves around the sun.
What is the difference between a waxing crescent and a waning crescent?
waxing - lit portion of the moon is getting bigger waning - lit portion of the moon is getting smaller
Identify the three layers of the sun's atmosphere and a distinguishing feature of each.
photosphere - innermost layer - visible light chromosphere - middle layer - reddish ring corona - outermost layer - halo (means crown)
What is the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse? Name at least two differences.
Solar -- New moon; Moon between Earth and Sun Lunar -- Full Moon; Earth between Sun and Moon Solar - occurs less often than lunar
What is an asteroid made of and where does it originate?
made of rock and some metal; comes from the asteroid belt (leftover bits of rock from when the planets were formed).
What is the difference between a solstice and a equinox?
solstice - the north or south pole is nearest the sun equinox - neither pole is nearest the sun
Why does the moon look different to us at each phase?
The moon revolves around the Earth. Since only half the moon is always lit, we see different amounts of the lit side throughout the month.
What is the difference between a sunspot, a prominence and a solar flare
sunspots- dark areas of cooler gases prominences - reddish loops that connect sunspots solar flares - prominences overlap, erupt and send particles hurling into space
Identify two differences between a spring tide and a neap tide.
Spring Tide - new moon/full moon - greatest difference between high and low tides. Neap tide: first/third quarter moons - smallest difference between high and low tides
Name two differences between the asteroid belt and the Kuiper belt?
1) asteroid belt is where asteroids originate and the Kuiper belt is where comets originate 2) Asteroid belt is between mars and jupiter and the kuiper belt is out past Neptune
Why does the sun look like the brightest star in the sky even though it is not the biggest?
It is the closest star to our planet,
Surprise Gravity Question!!! Why do objects, when dropped, fall "Down" on Earth?
Objects fall down because the mass of the Earth is larger than all of the objects on its surface. With gravity, the larger the mass, the stronger the gravitational pull, so all smaller objects are pulled "down" towards the much larger Earth..
What is solar wind and why is it important to us?
Particles come flying towards Earth from solar flare eruptions -- this can create disturbance in radio waves, satellite signals and can create auroras.
What is the definition of Astronomy?
the study of the moon, stars, and other objects in space
What is the difference between a meteoroid, a meteor, and a meteorite?
meteoroid - pieces of comets and asteroids in space meteor - meteoroid that enters Earth's atmosphere and burns up due to friction, meteorite - meteor that does not burn up completely and hits Earth's surface