Earth's Movements
Sun, Stars, and Constellations
Moon Phases
100
What causes it to appear as if the sun rises and sets each day?
The Earth's rotation
100
Why do the sun and moon seem like the same size?
The sun is 400x larger than the moon, but it is 400x farther away from Earth. In other words, the moon is much smaller and closer to Earth.
100
Where does the moon get it's light from?
The moon reflects light from the sun.
200
How long does it take the Earth to complete one rotation? BONUS: For double the points, how long does it take the Earth to complete one revolution?
One rotation takes 1 day.
One revolution takes 1 year.
200
What are stars made of?
Stars are gigantic balls of exploding gas held together by gravity.
200
What causes the moon to look like it is changing shape?
As the moon orbits the earth, the sun always shines on half of it, but from Earth we may only see part of that illuminated surface. The phase we see depends on where the moon is in its orbit around the Earth.
300
Why does the sun seem to change position in the sky?
The Earth's rotation.
300
A group of stars is known as a _____________.
Constellation.
300
How long does it take for the moon to complete one revolution around the earth?
About 1 month.
400
What keeps Earth revolving around the sun?
The Sun's gravity
400
Why do we see different stars at different times of year?
Because of Earth's orbit around the sun, Earth is in different places at different times of the year. Due to this, our view of the night sky changes.
400
What is the difference between waning and waxing?
Waxing means that the moon is appearing to get larger. Waning means that the moon is appearing to get smaller.
500
Earth tilts on its axis. What does this cause to happen?
Earth's tilt causes seasons.
500
Theo observes a star. He observes it at 9:00 P.M. on September 9. When will the star be in the same position, at the same exact time of night again?
One year later. It will take the Earth one year to complete a full orbit and get to the same spot in space again.
500
Draw a crescent moon, gibbous moon, full moon, new moon, and quarter moon.
