Earth's Moon and Seasons
What motion of Earth on its axis causes the daily cycle of day changing into night?
What is Earth's rotation?
Towards which celestial body is the gravitational pull on an orbiting satellite directed?
What is towards the larger object?
AKA the Moon is pulled towards the Earth
What celestial body exerts the primary gravitational force responsible for ocean tides on Earth?
What is the Moon?
What type of space object is composed mainly of ice, dust, and rock, and forms a visible tail when near the Sun?
What is a comet?
What optical instrument allowed early astronomers to prove that Earth was not the center of the solar system?
What is the telescope?
How long does it take for Earth to complete one full revolution around the Sun?
What is approximately 365 days (or one year)?
How does increasing the distance between two objects affect the gravitational force between them?
What is it decreases the gravitational force?
About how frequently is a full moon visible from Earth?
What is once a month (approx. every 29.5 days)?
What classification is given to large outer planets (like Jupiter) that are composed mostly of gases?
What are Jovian planets (or Gas Giants)?
What space telescope measures small dips in a star's brightness to detect exoplanets outside our solar system?
What is the Kepler Space Telescope
What is the main cause of changing seasons on Earth?
What is Earth's axial tilt as it revolves around the Sun?
If two objects keep the same distance, what variable must increase for the force of gravity between them to become stronger?
What is their mass?
What moon phase occurs when the Moon is directly between the Earth and the Sun?
What is a New Moon?
What term describes a streak of light caused by a small piece of rock burning up in Earth's atmosphere?
What is a meteor (or "shooting star")?
Why has the scientific model of the solar system changed from Earth-centered to Sun-centered over time
What is because new technological tools allowed scientists to gather new evidence and observations?
When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun and receiving less direct sunlight, what season is occurring in the Southern Hemisphere?
What is summer?
Why does an outer planet like Uranus take significantly longer to complete an orbit around the Sun than an inner planet like Mars?
What is because its orbit path is longer/farther from the Sun?
What type of eclipse occurs when the Earth passes directly between the Sun and Moon, casting its shadow on the Moon?
What is a lunar eclipse?
How do dwarf planets differ from regular planets in terms of their orbits?
What is they have not cleared their orbital path/neighborhood of other objects?
What technology has allowed scientists to map planetary surfaces in high detail without sending human astronauts?
What are robotic spacecraft / probes?
What 4 major characteristics of Earth make it unique among planets for supporting life as we know it?
What is water in all 3 states, distance from the sun, composition of rock and water, and a suitable atmosphere?
What is the general shape of planetary orbits around the Sun in our solar system?
What is an ellipse (or elliptical)?
During which two moon phases do the extreme high and low tides (spring tides) occur?
What are the New Moon and Full Moon phases?
What separates the inner terrestrial planets from the outer gas giant planets in our solar system?
What is the Asteroid Belt?
In a scale model of the solar system where the Sun is a basketball, which object best represents Earth: a grain of sand, a pebble, or a marble?
What is a small pebble?