Moon Phases
What object orbits Earth and appears to change shape throughout the month?
The Moon
What type of eclipse happens when the Moon blocks the Sun’s light from reaching part of Earth?
Solar eclipse
How many seasons does Earth have during one year and what is the main cause of seasons?
Four seasons and Earth's tilt
What is the main source of light and energy for Earth?
The Sun
What do scientists use to represent objects, systems, or processes that may be difficult to observe directly?
Models
What causes the Moon’s changing appearances?
The positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon
What type of eclipse happens when Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon?
Lunar eclipse
What movement of Earth causes day and night?
Earth’s rotation
What object does the Moon travel around?
Earth
In a model of lunar phases, what should the Sun be shown providing to the Moon?
Sunlight
Which phase occurs when the Moon appears completely dark or nearly invisible from Earth?
New moon
During what type of eclipse does the Moon pass directly between Earth and the Sun?
Solar eclipse
Which season does the Northern Hemisphere experience when it is tilted toward the Sun?
Summer
What is the path Earth follows as it travels around the Sun?
An orbit
A diagram shows Earth between the Sun and Moon, with Earth’s shadow reaching the Moon. What event does this model represent?
Lunar eclipse
What terms describe whether the visible illuminated portion of the Moon is growing or shrinking?
Waxing and waning
What is the main reason a solar or lunar eclipse does not happen during every Moon phase cycle?
The tilt of the Moon’s orbit
Which hemisphere is having winter while the Northern Hemisphere is having summer?
Southern Hemisphere
What shape is Earth’s orbit around the Sun?
Elliptical
A diagram shows eight Moon positions around Earth. The Moon is between Earth and the Sun at the position labeled “new moon.” Explain why this model is reasonable.
The Moon’s sunlit side faces mostly away from Earth, and its phases repeat as it orbits Earth.
What phase occurs when the Moon is more than half illuminated and the visible lit portion is growing?
Waxing gibbous moon
Describe the alignment during a lunar eclipse and explain why the Moon may appear dark or red.
Earth is between the Sun and Moon; Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon, which may look dark or red because sunlight passes through Earth’s atmosphere.
Explain why the Northern Hemisphere has warmer temperatures and longer days when it is tilted toward the Sun.
It receives more direct sunlight and more hours of daylight.
Name the three objects whose positions and movements explain lunar phases, eclipses, day and night, and seasons.
The Sun, Earth, and Moon
A model shows Earth’s axis tilted toward the Sun in one hemisphere and away from the Sun in the other. Use the model to explain why the two hemispheres have opposite seasons.
The hemisphere tilted toward the Sun receives more direct sunlight and longer daylight; the other receives less direct sunlight and shorter daylight.