Basics
Where are stars born?
In a nebula.
What causes tides on Earth?
The gravitational pull of the moon.
When it is summer in Vermont, what season is it in Australia?
Winter
Kelvin
What is Mr. Dichard's son's name?
Shane
How many years ago was the solar sytem born?
4.5 billion years ago
List the 8 planets in our solar system, in order of closest to the sun to farthest from the sun.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
True or False: Seasons depend on how close Earth is to the sun - when it is closer, it is summer; when it is farther away, it is winter.
FALSE!
What is a light year?
What day is the Mars rover Perserverance supposed to touch down on Mars?
February 18! This week!
What is the difference between rotation and revolution?
Rotation: an object's spinning motion about its own axis; Revolution: an object's orbital motion around another object.
Which planet has a day that is longer than a year?
Venus
How many degrees is the tilt of the Earth that causes seasons?
23.5 degrees. Will accept 23 as well.
Which star would be hotter - a red star or a blue star?
A blue star.
What special occurrence happened in December with Saturn and Jupiter?
How many years ago did the universe begin? (When was the Big Bang?)
13.8 billion years ago
Name the 8 different phases of the lunar cycle (in order!) starting with New Moon.
New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Third (or Last) Quarter, Waning Crescent (these need to be in order to be correct!)
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is short-term and can change daily. It describes the precipitation and temperature for each day. Climate is the description of the average weather over a long period of time. It does not change quickly.
What is the difference between absolute magnitude and apparent magnitude?
The absolute magnitude describes the true brightness of a star, regardless of how far away it is from Earth. The apparent magnitude describes how bright a star appears from Earth.
What country in the world has the largest population?
China
When the solar system was born, what did the leftover pieces of matter turn into AND where are the majority of them located? (Need to answer both to get the points!)
The leftover pieces turned into meteoroids, comets, and asteroids (need at least one of the three to get this correct) AND they are located between Mars and Jupiter in the Asteroid Belt.
Draw a diagram that shows the sun, Earth, and moon during a new moon AND that shows where the low and high tides are during the new moon. (Need both to get this one correct.)
The moon should be directly between the sun and Earth. The high tides are on the side of Earth facing the moon and the opposite side. The low tides are at 90 degrees from the high tides. (This all needs to be correct to get the points.)
Draw a diagram of the Earth and sun that describes the seasons. To get the points, you need to include the position of Earth in all 4 seasons AND you need to label the axis and where North is.
Important things to look for: axis/North is pointing the same direction for each of the Earth drawings. Summer is when North is pointing away from the sun, winter is when North is pointing toward the sun. Axis should be about 23 degrees tilted.
List FIVE different ways that astronomers use to classify stars. (Need 5 to get the points)
Need FIVE of the following: Name, Distance, Peak Color, Temperature, Class (or life cycle stage), Diameter, Luminosity, Magnitude, Spectral Type, Constellation
Which US state has the smallest population?
Wyoming has the lowest population (with about 580,000 residents in 2020).