Rotation
The daily spin of Earth around its axis is called what?
What is rotation?
The movement of Earth around the sun is called what?
What is revolution?
What is Earth’s orbital plane?
The flat surface containing Earth’s orbit around the sun.
The sun rising in the east and setting in the west is caused by what?
Earth’s rotation.
A limitation on an engineering solution is called what?
A constraint.
This imaginary line runs through Earth’s North and South Poles.
What is Earth’s axis?
Earth completes one revolution in how much time?
One year.
Which celestial objects lie on or near Earth’s orbital plane?
The sun and seasonal stars.
Seasonal stars are also known as what?
Summer or winter stars.
The requirements that an engineering solution must meet are called what?
Criteria.
Why do the sun and stars appear to move across the sky each day?
Because of Earth’s rotation.
What shape is Earth’s orbit around the sun?
Nearly circular ellipse.
Why are some stars only visible at certain times of the year?
Because Earth’s orbital plane and the sun’s light can block them.
How are circumpolar stars different from seasonal stars?
Circumpolar stars are visible year-round; seasonal stars only during part of the year.
What model did astronomers create to locate stars on a grid?
The celestial sphere.
From the North Pole, Earth rotates in which direction?
Counterclockwise
Why do different constellations appear in the sky during different seasons?
Because Earth revolves around the sun, changing our view of the stars.
Stars that never dip below the horizon and circle Polaris are called what?
Circumpolar stars.
Why does Scorpius disappear from the night sky in January?
Because it is in the same direction as the sun, and the sun’s light blocks it.
Why must star-locating apps load quickly on smartphones?
Because of computing power constraints and user needs.
Which star do the stars appear to circle around in the night sky?
What is Polaris (the North Star)?
Give one example of a seasonal constellation mentioned in the lesson.
Orion or Scorpius.
Why can circumpolar stars be seen all year long?
Because they are above Earth’s orbital plane and not drowned out by the sun’s light.
What kind of relationship explains why we see celestial objects move across the sky?
Cause and effect
What does the celestial sphere model compare to on Earth?
Latitude and longitude coordinates.