Planets
What is the center of the solar system?
the sun
How long does it take the Earth to orbit the sun?
About 365 days (we call it a year)
What is the source of light on the moon?
the sun
Which celestial object is closer to the size of Earth: Jupiter or Mercury?
Mercury
You can fit 1,300 Earths in Jupiter but you could only put about 18 Mercurys in Earth.
Which two seasons have roughly the same temperatures?
fall/autumn and Spring
The tilt isn't pointing at the sun or away from it.
Which characteristic do all the inner planets NOT have in common?
a) warmer
b) orbiting faster (shorter years)
c) more gasses
d) rocky surfaces
c) more gasses
Outer planets are called gas giants because they're mostly gas.
Why doesn't the Earth fly off into space?
The sun's gravity keeps it closer to it and holds onto Earth
Where would the sun, Earth, and moon be during a full moon.
The moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun so it is fully illuminated.
I am putting 3 planets on a scale to show their surface temperature. The green planet is 100 units hot. The purple planet is 800 units hot. The pink planet is 900 units hot. How would you place them on the scale? (Describe or draw the line).
The pink and purple planet should be close together on the line and they should be far away from the green planet. The green planet should be on the left (we almost always show small on the left and big on the right) and the other two should be on the right.
During which season do we have longer days?
Summer
Is Neptune considered a rocky planet or a gas giant?
Neptune is a gas giant
What would have to change to cause the Earth to be pulled into sun. HINT: There are a few answers that would work.
1) Increase the gravity by moving the planets closer together or making them more massive
2) Decrease the inertia by making Earth go slower or have less mass
What does a lunar eclipse look like?
The moon appears to turn red.
I have two imaginary planets. Planet red is 30 units long and planet orange is 5 units long. I would like to build a model of the two planets using gum balls. What would my measurements be for my gumball model?
I would make 1 gumball represent the orange planet. 6 gumballs would represent the red one.
(Ratio is 5:30. Divide both by 5= 1:6)
Summer
What is the hottest planet and why?
Venus is the hottest planet because it has more greenhouse gasses
Why does the earth orbit the sun? (Two things)
The moon wanes meaning it is getting darker
3:1
You could fit 3 blue planets in every yellow one.
What causes the seasons?
Earth's axis is tilted so sometimes it leans toward the sun and sometimes it leans away (angle of light)
Why is Pluto not a planet?
It is too small to clear its space around it (not enough gravity)
How does inertia effect the orbit of the Earth around the sun?
Inertia keeps the Earth going (tries to go straight) so it doesn't get pulled into the sun
Why don't we have an eclipse every month?
The moon's orbit is tilted so the moon, Earth, and sun don't line up every month.
Which math operation (+-*/) would I use if I want to scale something UP in my model?
Multiply (* to go bigger. / to go smaller)
Winter (Distance from the sun does NOT cause the seasons!!!)