Planet Characteristics
What is the closest planet to the sun?
Mercury, it is our smallest planet!
What is the name of the star at the center of our solar system?
The Sun
Does the moon give off it's own light?
NO!
What are tides?
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels in a predictable and cyclical pattern.
What causes the seasons on Earth?
The revolution of our Earth along with the tilt of Earth causes our seasons.
What is the largest planet in our solar system?
Jupiter
What causes day and night on Earth?
The rotation of the Earth
Why are we able to see the moon at all?
The different shapes or phases of the Moon that we observe from Earth are caused by the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, and Earth in their orbits. The Moon doesn't produce its own light; it reflects the Sun's light. As the Moon orbits around the Earth, different portions of its illuminated side are visible from Earth, creating the various phases.
What causes tides?
They are caused by the gravitational interactions between the Moon, the Sun, and the Earth. Specifically the moon as it is closer to the Earth than the Sun.
What does the term hemisphere mean? Which hemisphere do we live in?
The top half or bottom half of our Earth. We live in the northern hemisphere.
Which planet is often referred to as Earth's "sister planet" due to its similar size and composition?
Venus
The Sun's _________ allows all planets to remain in orbit.
Gravity
How long does it take the moon to complete all 8 of it's phases?
Around 29.5 days, approximately one month
How many high tides and low tides typically occur in one day?
2 high tides and 2 low tides
How would you know if we are experiencing summer in our hemisphere?
The top half of our Earth would be more tilted and you would see more sunlight on the top half.
What are the four gas giants in our solar system, and can you name them in order from closest to farthest from the Sun?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
What is it called when the Earth or other planets go around the Sun?
A revolution or orbit
What do the terms waxing and waning mean? Where is the illumination on each? Please provide an example of each.
Waning means to shrink, the illumination is on the left hand side.
Example: Waning Gibbous, Waning crescent
How much time is in between tides?
6 hours between each
High tide, 6 hours, low tide, 6 hours, high tide, 6 hours, low tide, 6 hours...and so on and so forth
What would happen to our seasons if our Earth was not tilted?
We would not experience seasons at all we would see no variation.
What is the difference between a terrestrial planet and a gas giant? Can you provide an example of each?
Terrestrial planets are rocky and solid in structure.
Example: Earth, Mars, Venus etc.
Gas Giants are much larger in size and have significantly more mass compared to terrestrial planets. They are primarily composed of gases and do not have a solid surface.
Example: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, etc.
What is the difference between asteroids, comets, and meteors?
Asteroids: Asteroids are rocky and metallic objects that are smaller than planets and are found in the asteroid belt, primarily between Mars and Jupiter.
Comets: Comets are icy bodies composed of dust, rock, and frozen gases, such as water, methane, and ammonia.
Meteors: Meteors, also known as shooting stars or falling stars, are small rocky or metallic particles that enter the Earth's atmosphere from space and burn up due to friction, creating a bright streak of light.
What moon phase has to be occurring in order to see a solar eclipse?'
A new moon
What is a spring and neap tide and what are the differences?
When do these tides occur?
A spring tide is a type of tide that occurs when the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth are aligned, creating a straight line. These are the highest high tides and the lowest low tides. Often extreme tides.
Moon Phases where this tide occurs: New moon and full moon
A neap tide occurs when the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth form a right angle, causing the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon to partially cancel each other out. Moderate Tides
Moon Phases where this tide occurs: First and Last quarter
What are the three reasons that we are able to live here on Earth?
Earth is a rocky structure that has water on it. Water exists here on Earth in all three phases, solid, liquid, and gas
The Earth is a perfect distance from the Sun, the Goldilocks Zone
The Earth has a protective atmosphere consisting of mostly Nitrogen and Oxygen