Moon Basics
This term describes the Moon because it orbits Earth.
What is a satellite?
This is the total number of distinct Moon phases observed from Earth.
What is eight?
This force is the primary cause of ocean tides on Earth.
What is gravity?
This type of eclipse occurs when the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth.
What is a solar eclipse?
This season begins in the Northern Hemisphere around December 21.
What is winter?
The Moon takes this amount of time to complete one rotation on its axis and one revolution around Earth.
What is 27.3 Earth days?
This motion of the Moon around Earth is responsible for the changing Moon phases.
What is the Moon’s revolution?
Ocean tides are described as this type of pattern because they repeat regularly over time.
What is a cycle? (or cyclic)
This Moon phase is required for a lunar eclipse to occur.
What is a full Moon?
While Christmas is celebrated during winter in the Northern Hemisphere, this season is occurring in the Southern Hemisphere.
What is summer?
The Moon appears bright in the night sky because of this process, not because it produces its own light.
What is the reflection of sunlight?
This is the amount of time it takes the Moon to complete one full cycle of phases as seen from Earth.
What is 29.5 days?
This amount of time passes between two consecutive high tides at the same location on Earth.
What is about 12 hours?
This lighter part of a shadow results in a partial eclipse.
What is the penumbra?
This plant is traditionally used as a Christmas tree because it retains its needles throughout the year.
What is a conifer (evergreen tree)?
According to the most widely accepted theory of Moon formation, this type of object collided with early Earth.
What is a Mars-sized object?
This Moon phase occurs when less than half of the Moon’s illuminated side is visible and the lit portion is increasing.
What is waxing crescent?
Earth’s ocean tides are caused by the combined gravitational effects of these two celestial objects.
What are the Moon and the Sun?
This alignment of the Sun, Earth, and Moon is required for eclipses to occur.
What is alignment in a straight line?
This location experiences 24 hours of darkness around Christmas due to Earth’s axial tilt.
What is the North Pole?
This characteristic of the Moon explains why we always see the same side facing Earth.
What is the Moon’s rotation period equals its revolution period?
This Moon phase occurs when more than half of the Moon’s illuminated side is visible but the illuminated portion is decreasing.
What is waning gibbous?
The Moon has a greater effect on Earth’s ocean tides than the Sun because _____.
What is the Moon is much closer to Earth?
Even though new and full Moons occur every month, eclipses are rare because this feature of the Moon’s orbit prevents perfect alignment.
What is the Moon’s 5° orbital tilt?
This historical figure is the basis for the modern character commonly associated with gift-giving on Christmas.
Who is Saint Nicholas?