Moon Phases
What causes us to see different phases of the Moon from Earth?
the Moon's orbit around the Earth
What alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Earth creates a solar eclipse?
Sun - Moon - Earth
Why does Earth have seasons?
The Tilt of the Earth on its Axis
What object does the Moon orbit around?
The Earth
Why do we always see the Moon rise and set at different times each day?
Because the Moon revolves around the Earth faster than the Earth rotates.
About how long does it take the Moon to complete one full cycle of phases?
29 days
What alignment causes a lunar eclipse?
Sun - Earth - Moon
If it is winter in City X and summer in City Z during January, what does this tell you about the hemispheres they are located in?
X is in the North hemisphere and Z is in the Southern
Why is the lit portion of the Moon always facing the Sun, even when we cannot see it from Earth?
because the Moon does not light up on its own, the Sun is the cause of the moon appearing Illuminated.
Explain why a full moon is not visible at noon.
Because the moon is on the other side of the Earth from where you are observing from
If the Sun is shining from the right in a diagram, what phase might you see when the Moon is on the left side of Earth?
Full Moon
Why don’t solar and lunar eclipses happen every month, even though the Moon orbits Earth?
the orbit of the moon is not a straight line (tilted orbit)
Why does the South Pole receive 24 hours of sunlight during part of the year?
the tilt of the Earth on it Axis
In a simple model using a soccer ball, golf ball, and a flashlight, what does the flashlight represent, and what does the soccer ball represent?
The Earth
Describe how the tilt of Earth affects both the intensity and the duration of sunlight a region receives.
The tilt causes sunlight to shine more directly on different hemispheres during different times of the year
If the Moon is at a position where the lit half faces directly away from Earth, which phase would be observed?
New Moon
If the Moon suddenly doubled in size, what effect would this most likely have on eclipses?
Eclipses would happen more frequently
What happens to the amount of sunlight the Northern Hemisphere receives as it transitions from Summer to Fall
the northern hemisphere will receive less sunlight as it transitions from Summer to Fall
You create a Moon-phase model. If the Moon model is placed between the “Earth” and the “Sun,” what phase will the observer see?
New Moon
If Earth did not rotate but still orbited the Sun, how would seasons and day/night change?
Day and night would be 6months at a time. a day and a year would be the same length
List all 8 phases in order starting with new moon
New Moon, Waxing Crescent, 1st Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, 3rd Quarter, Waning Crescent
Explain how the Moon’s tilted orbit affects how often eclipses happen.
Because it is a tilted orbit, the moon does not align perfectly with the Sun and Earth, every time it passes "between" the two
If Earth’s tilt changed to 10° instead of 23.5°, how would this affect seasonal differences around the world?
There would be less of a seasonal difference, due to more even sunlight for both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
Explain why the same side of the Moon always faces Earth, even though the Moon rotates.
Because the Earth is also orbiting around the sun
A location on Earth receives nearly the same amount of daylight year-round. Explain what this reveals about its latitude and relationship to Earth’s tilt.
the city is near the Equator