Stars
Why does the North Star (Polaris) seem to stay in the same place while other stars move?
Because it’s located almost directly above Earth’s North Pole axis, so Earth’s rotation doesn’t make it appear to move.
Why is summer in Australia during December, even though it’s winter in the United States?
Because the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun in December, while the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away.
What makes it look like the Sun is moving across the sky?
The Earth’s rotation on its axis.
If you see Orion in the winter sky, why can’t you see it in the summer?
Because Earth’s orbit makes us face a different part of space at night.
Explain why places near the equator don’t have big changes between summer and winter.
Because the equator always gets nearly the same amount of direct sunlight all year long.
Why do we have shadows that change length during the day?
Because the Sun’s position in the sky changes as Earth rotates.
Copernicus and Galileo
Why are temperatures usually warmer in the summer even though the Earth is slightly farther from the Sun than in winter?
Because the hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, so sunlight hits the surface more directly and for more hours each day.
If Earth spun twice as fast as it does now, how would that change a day?
A day would only be 12 hours long (shorter daylight and nighttime).