Time & Space
a pattern or group of stars that people imagined to represent a figure, animal, or object
constellation
The first day of spring is called the ____________ ____________ (this day has the same length as its night).
vernal equinox
list the moons phases in order
new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter (half moon), waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter (half moon), waning crescent...repeat
A tide with the least difference between high and low tides (since the moon and sun are pulling at right angles to the Earth)
neap tide
Compare the length of one Earth rotation and revolution.
rotation = 24 hours; revolution = 1 year
Is it summer when the Earth is closest to the sun? (Include the "northern" or "southern hemisphere" in your answer.)
Not in the Northern hemisphere (but actually yes during the Southern hemisphere summer). it is really the tilt of the Earth towards or away from the summer that causes the seasons to occur.
during an eclipse, the darkest part of the moons shadow is called the
umbra
The term for the rise and fall of ocean water that occurs every 12.5 hr or so
tide
Name the term for when day and night are each about 12 hours long, they occur twice during the year on March 21 and September 22.
equinox
the term for the date when the sun appears farthest north of the equator or farthest south of the equator
solstice
Explain why we see different phases of the moon.
As the moon revolves around the Earth, we see different portions of the light half of the moon. It takes about 29.5 days for an entire cycle of phases to be seen from Earth (1 revolution of the moon around the Earth) (remember the diagram on page 24?)
What causes tides?
Tides are caused by differences in how the moon and sun pull on different parts of Earth. The Earth Rotates every 24 hours. The gravitational attraction of the moon pulls the water towards it as the Earth rotates each day. The moon also revolves around the Earth, so the time when the moon is by each portion of the Earth shifts a little each day, causing the tides to creep throughout the month.
this force attracts all objects toward each other
gravity
Explain why it is warmer near the equator and cooler near the poles.
The suns rays hit the Earth most directly at the equator, so those areas get the warmest. As the sun reaches the poles, the rays are at more of an angle and spread out over a larger area, so less heat is transferred to the land in these parts.
why is it more common to see a total lunar eclipse than a total solar eclipse?
The moon is in the Earth's shadow during a lunar eclipse. The Earth is much bigger than the moon, so it casts a bigger shadow for the moon to be eclipsed. During a solar eclipse, the moon shadows the Earth (the moon comes directly between the sun and the Earth). Since the moon is much smaller than the Earth, it casts a shadow on a smaller part of the Earth and only a relatively small area of the Earth is in total shadow.
when do spring tides occur?
NOT only in the spring! they occur when the moon and sun are in a line with the Earth, having both the sun's and moon's gravitational pull in the same direction, pulling the water more to make a higher high and lower low tide. (see p 30)
Explain how day and night occur.
The Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hrs. The part of the Earth that faces the sun experiences "day" while the part facing away from the sun experiences "night".
How would the seasons be different if Earth were not tilted on its axis? Explain.
There would be no seasonal variation in weather. Temperatures would remain mostly constant year round; temperatures would be hotter by the equator and cooler as you travel towards the poles. Both hemisphere would receive the same amount of sunlight throughout the year.
Why do we see the same side of the moon?
The moon rotates once in the amount of times it takes for exactly one revolution of the moon around the Earth. Therefore, the same side of the moon always faces the Earth.
draw a diagram with the Earth, sun and moon to explain how and where high and low tides occur.
see pg 29