Moon Phases
What is the Moon phase that occurs when half of the Moon is lit and it is increasing in illumination.
1st Quarter
What moon phases create spring tides?
New moon and full moon
What causes a solar eclipse to occur?
The Moon’s orbit crosses directly in front of the Sun, creating a solar eclipse.
This occurs when one hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and receives more direct sunlight and longer days.
Summer.
What natural phenomena is caused by the moon's orbit?
Tides
When the Moon is aligned with and between Earth and the Sun, which phase is happening?
New moon
At which moon phases do neap tides occur?
1st Quarter and 3rd quarter. Perpendicular to the Sun
What alignment do the Earth, Sun, and moon need to be in for a lunar eclipse to occur?
Full moon - Sun -> Earth -> Moon
If the northern hemisphere is having spring, what is the southern hemisphere experiencing?
Fall
What is a partial solar eclipse?
If you are standing in the penumbra during a solar eclipse, this is what you would observe happening to the Sun.
Why does the Moon have different phases during the month?
The moon revolves around the Earth once each month.
What causes the water levels to rise and fall (aka tides) at the beach?
The moon's gravitational pull
When the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon, the shadow causes which of the following?
Lunar Eclipse
How do the days compare in the Northern hemisphere during a summer solstice and the Southern hemisphere during a winter solstice?
The northern hemisphere will experience the day with the most amount of sunlight while the southern hemisphere will experience the day with the least amount of sunlight.
If the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, this season is occurring there.
Winter
If the moon were absent, then a sliver of light can be seen on the right side, then half of the right side is lit up, which phenomena in moon phases are we seeing?
waxing
What are spring tides?
These tides occur when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned, causing the greatest difference between high and low tides
Why do we see lunar eclipses so much more often than solar eclipses?
Because the moon is so much smaller than the Earth, it casts a small shadow and only a small section of Earth would be able to view the solar eclipse
These are the two times of year when day and night are approximately equal in length everywhere on Earth.
Equinoxes
If the Moon did not have a tilted orbit, this type of event would happen every month.
Eclipses
What phase of the moon occurs next after a full moon?
Waning Gibbous
What are neap tides?
These tides occur when the Sun and Moon pull on the Earth at right angles, resulting in the smallest difference between high and low tides.
Why do we not have an eclipse every moon cycle?
Because the moon's orbit is slanted and the Sun, Earth, and moon have to all line up perfectly
How does Earth’s orbit around the Sun determine the seasons of Earth?
Earth’s axis tilts different parts of Earth toward or away from the Sun at different points in Earth’s orbit.
What is a lunar cycle?
The time it takes the moon to go through all of its phases (29.5 days)