General
Which animal was the first to orbit the Earth?
A dog
Our solar system is located in which galaxy?
The Milky Way Galaxy
How long does it take for the sun's light to reach Earth?
8 minutes
The moon orbits the Earth. What does orbit mean?
To orbit means to follow a curved path of a celestial object.
True or False, the sun is the closest star to Earth.
True!
The year that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin went to the moon.
1969
What is a galaxy?
Large group of stars, gas, and dust, bound together by gravity.
Explain the relationship between the sun and the Earth.
The Earth orbits (rotates) the sun. This takes 365 days.
Our planet spins (rotates) around its centre. What is the centre point called?
How long does it take for Earth to rotate?
It's called an axis.
It takes one day (24 hours).
True or False, the sun is the biggest star in our galaxy.
What is the solar system?
Collection of sun, planets, asteroids, meteors, and space debris.
Name the planets in our solar system in order.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
What is thermal energy and radiant energy from the sun and why are they important?
Thermal energy provides heat for Earth, while radiant energy provides light. Without this, life on Earth would not survive.
This planet is a red planet, filled with craters, and there is evidence of water. The year on this planet is the double of our year, 687 days! Which planet is it?
Mars!
Name one advantage and one disadvantage of a sundial.
Advantage: you can tell time without electricity
Disadvantage: requires the sun, so you can't tell time at night or on a cloudy day
Give an example of something in space that emits light and something that reflects light.
The sun and stars emit light.
The moon reflects light.
Explain the difference between terrestrial planets and gas planets. (Also which planets are which)
Terrestrial are made mostly of metal and rock while gas planets are mostly gas, and much larger.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are terrestrial while Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are gas planets.
Explain what a sundial is and why it was used.
Which direction does the sun rise in?
A sundial was used to tell time before clocks/watches were invented. They used the position of the shadow to show the time of day.
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Neptune!
How long does it take for the moon to orbit the Earth? Explain what waxing and waning mean.
It takes 28 days (1 month).
Waxing means it's getting bigger.
Waning means it's getting smaller.
What was the big news in space exploration recently?
The Artemis II Mission to the moon was the first time back to to the moon in over 50 years! Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen was part of the mission. This mission was in preparation to eventually go to Mars.
The sun and stars emit light because of this type of reaction.
What type of energy does this create?
Nuclear fusion (happens in their core)
Nuclear fusion reactions create thermal energy (heat) and radiant energy (light).
What reaction allows the sun to produce energy?
Nuclear Fusion
Why are man-made satellites important?
They take pictures of Earth which helps predict the weather. They are used for maps, GPS, TV signals, phone calls.
Why do we have seasons on Earth?
We have seasons because the Earth is tilted on its axis. (The Earth is not straight as it orbits the sun.)
Because of this, the North Pole faces the sun for half the year, and the South Pole for the other half.
Closer to the sun will always be warmer => summer!