VOCABULARY 1
VOCABULARY 2
VOCABULARY 3
Earth System
Solar System
100
the Sun and the group of bodies that revolve around it
solar system
100
major bodies that orbit a star
planets
100
combination of Earth's four spheres, including all of the biological, chemical, and physical conditions that affect life
environment
100
Envelope of gases surrounding Earth; least dense and outermost sphere
Atmosphere
100
What planets and stars make up our solar system?
Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
200
smaller objects that orbit a planet
moons
200
warm, low-latitude areas near the equator
tropics
200
energy from the Sun, which reaches Earth as light and heat
solar energy
200
Earth’s water; 70 percent of Earth’s surface, including water in liquid, solid, and gaseous forms
Hydrosphere
200
How do rotation and revolution affect Earth?
• Rotation and revolution affect the amount of solar energy Earth receives at different locations. • Rotation of Earth on its axis produces day and night. • Revolution around the Sun takes one year. • Revolution and the tilt of Earth on its axis determine seasons.
300
time that Earth's poles point at their greatest angle toward or away from the Sun
solstice
300
body that orbits a larger body
satellite
300
high-latitude, cold regions around the North and South Poles
polar regions
300
Solid crust of the planet; forms continents, islands, and ocean floor
Lithosphere
300
What is Earth’s position in the solar system?
• One of eight planets • Third planet from the Sun • Fifth-largest planet • In elliptical orbit around the Sun
400
one complete spin of Earth on its axis
rotation
400
one elliptical orbit of Earth around the Sun
revolution
400
parallel 23½° south of the equator
Tropic of Capricorn
400
All life-forms; overlaps other three spheres
Biosphere
400
How does the angle of the Sun’s rays affect the amount of solar energy received at different locations on Earth?
• Direct vertical rays of sunlight concentrate solar energy in a smaller area, making more heat. • Angled rays spread solar energy out, making less heat. • Earth’s tilt makes direct rays most common near the equator and less common at high latitudes. • Change in the Earth’s tilt creates seasons.
500
parallel 66½° south of the equator
Antarctic Circle
500
parallel 66½° north of the equator
Arctic Circle
500
parallel 23½° north of the equator
Tropic of Cancer
500
How is Earth’s environment unique in the solar system?
• No other planet in the solar system has such a complex environment. • Earth’s environment is the key to human survival and quality of life.
500
What are solstices and equinoxes?
Solstice - time twice a year when Earth’s poles point at their greatest angle toward or away from the Sun Equinox - time twice a year when Earth’s poles are both at a 90° angle from the Sun
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