Earth’s Cycles (Seasons & Tides)
This 23.5-degree "lean" of the Earth is the primary reason we have seasons.
What is axial tilt?
This is the specific term used when the illuminated portion of the Moon is "growing."
What is waxing?
This distance unit is equal to the average gap between the Earth and the Sun.
What is an Astronomical Unit (AU)?
These icy "dirty snowballs" develop a glowing tail as they approach the heat of the Sun.
What is a comet?
According to Newton, these are the two factors that determine how much gravitational pull exists between two objects.
What are mass and distance?
This term describes the two days of the year when the Earth experiences approximately equal hours of day and night. What seasons do these happen in?
What are the fall and spring equinox?
This celestial event occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and the Earth.
What is a solar eclipse?
This planet is known as Earth’s "sister planet" because its size and radius are nearly identical to ours.
What is Venus?
This region between Mars and Jupiter is where most of the solar system’s rocky debris is found.
What is the Asteroid Belt?
If you travel to a planet with more mass than Earth, this measurement of yours will increase, even though your mass stays the same.
What is weight?
While the Moon’s gravity creates the "bulge" of water, this daily movement of the Earth causes the tides to rise and fall at specific locations.
The Earth is rotating through the bulge of water.
This lunar phase must be present for a Lunar Eclipse to occur.
What is a Full Moon?
Even though Mercury is closer to the Sun, this planet is the hottest due to its thick, CO2-rich atmosphere.
What is Venus?
This unit of measurement is used to describe distances to stars and galaxies outside of our solar system.
What is a light year?
This is the shape of the orbital paths that planets take around the Sun.
What is an ellipse (or elliptical)?
What is the summer solstice? What is happening in the opposite hemisphere at this time?
The Summer solstice is the day with the longest daylight of the year. It is the first day of summer. In the opposite hemisphere it is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year and the first day of winter.
This type of eclipse happens when the Earth's shadow completely covers the Moon.
What is a lunar eclipse?
This massive storm on Jupiter has been observed for over 400 years and is larger than Earth.
What is the Great Red Spot?
Describe the composition differences between comets and asteroids.
Asteroids are mostly rock and metal, comets are primarily composed of ice and dust
As a planet gets further away from the Sun, this happens to its orbital speed
What is it slows down?
"During the month of January, Earth is at its perihelion (closest point to the Sun), yet the Northern Hemisphere experiences Winter. This phenomenon proves that seasonal temperature change is caused by this specific solar-geometric factor, rather than proximity to the Sun."
"What is the angle or concentration of solar energy caused by Earth's tilt?"
When the Moon is in the "Third Quarter" phase, this percentage of the entire Moon is actually being hit by sunlight.
What is 50 percent?
These are the four planets classified as "Gas Giants" in our solar system.
What are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune?
This is the only planet in the solar system known to have large amounts of liquid water on its surface.
What is Earth?
This is the reason that two objects dropped on the Moon hit the ground at the same time.
What is they have the same acceleration due to gravity?