Earth's Motions
Earth's rotation takes about how long?
What is 24 hours?
What are the different shapes of the moon seen from Earth called?
What are phases?
All objects are attracted to each other by this force.
What is gravity?
Tides are caused mainly by differences in the pull of this celestial body on different parts of Earth.
What is the moon?
What causes day and night?
What is Earth’s rotation on its axis?
The phase of the moon you see depends on how much of the sunlit side of the moon faces Earth.
What is how much of the sunlit side of the moon faces Earth?
The tendency of a moving object to continue moving in a straight line or a stationary object to remain in place is called this.
What is inertia?
These are the times when day and night are of equal length.
What are equinoxes?
How long does one complete revolution around the sun take?
What is one year?
During what phase of the moon can a lunar eclipse occur?
What is a full moon?
The strength of the force of gravity depends on the masses of the objects and this other factor.
What is the distance between them?
Neap tides occur when the sun's pull is at this angle to the moon's pull.
What is at right angles?
What is the main reason Earth has seasons?
What is its axis is tilted as it moves around the sun?
For a solar eclipse to occur, the moon must be directly between these two celestial bodies.
What are Earth and the sun?
What two factors combine to keep Earth and the moon in their orbits?
What are gravity and inertia?
In the Southern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs when the sun is farthest in this direction.
What is farthest south?
When the North end of Earth's axis is tilted toward the sun, what does North America experience?
What are more direct rays and longer days?
Why is a total solar eclipse less likely to be seen than a total lunar eclipse?
What is the moon’s umbra only covers a small area on Earth’s surface?
Explain how inertia and gravity combine to keep Earth in its orbit. (Daily Double!)
What is: Inertia causes the Earth to want to move in a straight line, while gravity (the pull between Earth and the Sun) constantly pulls Earth inward. The combination of these two forces results in Earth moving in a curved path, or orbit, around the Sun?
Explain why it is generally warmer near the equator than it is near the poles. (Final Jeopardy!)
What is: Near the equator, the sun's rays are more direct (hitting at a closer angle to 90∘), concentrating energy over a smaller area. Near the poles, the sun's rays are more indirect (striking at a lower angle), spreading the same amount of energy over a larger area, resulting in cooler temperatures?