Gravity and Inertia
A force that attracts two bodies towards each other
Earth's rotation is responsible for...
Day and night! If your 1/2 of the earth is FACING the sun, you are experiencing daytime. When your 1/2 of the Earth rotates into Earth's shadow, you are experiencing nighttime. Earth's rotation takes ~24 hours.
Which of the following celestial bodies rotate (spins on an axis) and revolve (move around another celestial body)?
Sun, Earth, Moon
The sun, moon, and Earth all rotate and revolve. Planets revolve around stars (our sun is one),
Moons revolve around planets,
and starts revolve around the center of the galaxy.
What causes tides on Earth?
The moon's gravity mostly causes the tides on Earth. During the new and full moon phases, the sun "assists" with its gravity.
How close is Earth to the sun?
What is 93 million miles. (The next closest star is Alpha Centauri and is 4.2 light years away!!)
Where do you find gravity?
Everywhere in the universe!!! (Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation)
True or False: When Earth is closer to the sun, that is when it is summer.
FALSE!!! Distance has nothing to do with the seasons. It is the tilted Earth as it revolves around the sun.
How much of the moon is always lit?
Half of the moon is always lit. We do not always see the illuminated portion.
How many tides happen each day?
There are normally two high tides and two low tides each day. So, high tide, low tide, high tide, low tide about every 6 hours.
What is the name and type of galaxy we live in? **This actually might be on the test, fyi!)
What affects the force of gravity?
When the northern hemisphere is titled towards the sun, what is happening in Braintree?
Name the four main moon phases you will be responsible for.
You are not responsible for the waning and waxing crescent and gibbous phases.
What are the two possible moon phases for a spring tide to occur? What is the effect of Spring Tides?
Spring tides occur during a new moon or a full moon. Since all three celestial bodies are lined up, the gravity of the moon and sun are working together. This causes a higher high tide and a lower low tide for the greatest difference between tides.
What is the distance of a light year?
About 6 trillion miles.
What is inertia?
An objects' resistance to motion. If an object is at rest, it will stay at rest. If an object is in motion, it will stay in motion at constant speed in a straight line, until acted upon by an unbalanced force.
When the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, Braintree is...
Braintree is experiencing winter when the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun. We are receiving indirect sun rays, which are more spread out. Concentrated light brings more heat, so we are receiving LESS heat and shorter days. At the same time the southern hemisphere is experiencing summer, as they are tilted towards the sun.
You see the sun during the day, you see the moon at night. True or False
FALSE!!! While you can indeed see the sun during the day, the moon can be seen at different times through out the day depending on the phase. While the sun is "essentially stationary" the moon orbits the Earth, causing differences in the moon rise and moon set times.
What are the two possible moon phases for a neap tide to occur? What is the effect of Neap Tides?
Neap tides occur at first and third quarter moons. Since the gravity of the moon and the Sun are working against each other, the tides will have the smallest difference between them. So there will be a higher low tide and a lower high tide.
How many stars are in a galaxy?
A galaxy typically contains anywhere from hundreds of millions to hundreds of billions of stars, with an average estimate of around 100 billion stars in a typical galaxy like the Milky Way.
What keeps planets revolving around stars and moons revolving around planets?
Gravity and Inertia
What is the order of celestial bodies during a solar eclipse?
The order of the celestial bodies during a solar eclipse is: Sun, Moon, Earth. The moon is blocking the light from reaching Earth. We are in the moon's shadow.
What would be the celestial line up of the sun, moon and Earth during a lunar eclipse?
The celestial line up of the bodies would be:
Sun, Earth, Moon
It would be a full moon phase and occur during the night.
What mnemonics help you remember when special tides happen?
Spring Tide Straight Line-All 3 celestial bodies line up (Sun, Moon, and Earth)
Neap Tide Ninety degrees-When the moon is a t a right angle to the sun is when we experience neap tides
How many galaxies in our universe?
The number of galaxies in the observable universe is estimated to be between 200 billion and 2 trillion.