Vocabulary
Named after a well-known children's story, the __________________ Zone refers to a zone that has one or more livable planets.
Goldilocks
The biggest & brightest star in our solar system
The sun
What phase of the moon happens after a new moon?
Waxing crescent
Name Earth's 2 motions.
rotation and revolution/orbit
How fast does the earth rotate?
Roughly 1000 miles per hour
The Earth ________________ completely in 24 hours.
rotates
Why do constellations appear different in the summer than in the winter?
The Earth is revolving around the sun and we see different parts of space as we travel.
What causes the phases of the moon?
The moon revolves around the Earth.
The sun shines onto the moon.
We see different amounts of the lit up moon.
How long does it take Earth to revolve around the sun?
It takes 365 days.
The sun's path is not too high and not too low in these two seasons.
spring and fall
An invisible force that pulls all objects and people toward the Earth
gravity
Why do stars that are much bigger than our sun look like small dots from Earth?
They look like small dots from Earth because they are so far away.
The moon is a star because it shines so brightly. True or False?
If false, turn it into a true statement.
False
The moon is not a star and it shines brightly because it reflects the sun's light.
Season with longer daytime hours - __________
Season with shorter daytime hours - __________
Summer
Winter
It is 5 PM and the light from the sun is already fading from the sky. What time of year is it? How do you know?
It is winter. The sun's path in the sky is lowest in winter and therefore the days are short.
A group of stars that form a mythological object in the night sky.
Constellation
Describe 2 characteristics of planets that are in the "Goldilocks Zone" near their star.
-Right amount of light for plants
-Liquid water
-Not too hot, not too cold for life
The moon takes about one _________ to complete one moon cycle.
month
Earth revolving around the sun causes __________ and _____________.
Different seasons and different constellations
Why do we have colder temperatures in the winter?
We have colder temperatures in winter because the Earth is tilted away from the sun's light.
Earth _______________ around the sun completely in 365 days.
Name 2 other objects in space that do this motion.
revolves/orbits
Any planet revolves around its sun, the moon revolves around Earth (or similar answer)
If you looked up into the night sky tonight, would you be able to see the constellation Cygnus? What is going on with Earth that would cause you to see it tonight or not?
You would not be able to see Cygnus because it is a summer constellation. While Earth orbits the sun, we see different constellations each season. Right now we would see some winter and some spring constellations.
Gravity on the moon is different. On the moon, there is (more/less) gravity your jump would be (higher/lower).
less; higher
Earth's rotation takes _____________ and causes _________.
If Earth suddenly stopped rotating one day, what would that cause to happen here on Earth?
24 hours; day and night
If Earth suddenly stopped rotating, we would be stuck in either daytime or nighttime (depending on when it stopped).
At noon, you look down and see that your shadow is very short and close to your feet. What time of year is it? How do you know?
Summer, because that is when the sun takes its highest path. When the sun is at its highest point in summer, shadows will be short.