Vocab 1
Pole
The most northern or most southern point on a planet
Waxing Phases
The phases when more of the Moon’s near side is lit each night.
How many days does it take the Earth to complete one revolution?
365.24 days
True or False: The moon emits its own light
False
How many moon phases are there
8
Rotation Axis
The line on which an object rotates
Orbit
The path an object follows as it moves around another object
True or False:
The Sun’s gravitational pull holds the Earth in place in its orbit
True
What is the length of the lunar phases cycle?
29.5 days
What Super Moon did we experience in September?
The Harvest Moon
Revolution
The motion of one object around another
Solstice
A day when Earth’s rotation axis is the most away or toward the sun
Why does the view of the sky change over time?
The Earth’s rotation causes the phenomenon.
(Which makes the Sun appear to move from East-West through the sky. This is because the Earth is rotating from West-East.)
Why don’t lunar eclipses happen during every Full Moon phase?
Due to the tilt of the Moon’s orbit the Moon is usually slightly above or below the Earth’s penumbra.
True or False:
The Sun is always shining on one half of the Moon
True
Equator
An imaginary line that divides the Earth into its Northern and Southern Hemispheres
Penumbra
The lighter part of a shadow where light is partially blocked. This is the region where partial lunar and solar eclipses will occur.
During which months do we experience an equinox?
March and September
During which moon phase do solar eclipses occur?
New Moon
True or False: You can see the equator in Florida
False, the equator is an invisible line
Equinox
A day when Earth’s rotation axis is leaning along Earth’s orbit
Cycle
A set of events that happen over and over again
During which months do we experience a solstice?
June and December
True or False: A New Moon is completely dark, meaning we cannot see it
True
Why is Earth warmer at the equator and colder at the poles?
Due to the curve and tilt of the Earth the heat and energy from the Sun become more spread out as you move further away from the equator causing there to be less concentration of heat in one area.