Sun
What type of celestial body is the Sun?
A star
What shape is Earth?
A sphere. It's not flat, we've checked.
What type of celestial body is The Moon?
A moon.
How long does it take for Earth to complete one rotation?
~24 hours
What causes the seasons?
The tilt of Earth's axis.
What element is the Sun mostly made of?
Hydrogen.
What shape is Earth's orbit?
An ellipse.
What natural processes does the moon influence on Earth?
Tides.
How long does it take for Earth to complete a full revolution?
~365.25 days
During the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, The Sun will hit directly at _______.
The tropic of Cancer.
Explain why the Sun is at the center of the solar system.
The Sun is the center of the solar system because it's the largest object with the most gravity. It's gravity holds all of the rest of the planets in place.
What type of celestial body is The Earth?
A Planet
Rounding up to the nearest whole day. How long is a full lunar cycle?
28 days
What is the name of the galaxy in which we can find our solar system?
The Milky Way Galaxy.
Can you experience summer and winter on Earth at the same time? Why/ Why not?
Yes, when it's summer in the northern hemisphere is't winter in the southern hemisphere. Because of the tilt in Earth's axis each side of the equator experiences the opposite seasons at the same time.
How much bigger is The Sun when compared to Earth?
100 times wider than Earth. 1.3 million Earth's could fit inside the Sun.
Explain how Earth can experience a solar eclipse.
A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes in front of the Sun blocking it's light and casting a shadow onto Earth's surface.
Explain why the same side of the moon always faces Earth.
It's axis rotation and revolution around the Earth are at equal speeds, keeping the same side of the moon facing Earth at all times.
How long does it take for light from the sun to reach Earth?
7-8 min
What is the precise latitude of the tropic of Capricorn and the tropic of Cancer?
Tropic of Cancer = 23.5 degrees NORTH
Tropic of Capricorn = 23.5 degrees SOUTH
How old is the Sun? How far is it into it's lifespan?
4.6 billion years old. It will shine for another 5 billion years.
Why is there a difference between the geographic North Pole and the geomagnetic North Pole?
The geographic north pole is the northern point around which Earth rotates on its axis. The geomagnetic North Pole is an area in northern Canada where all compasses will point to regardless of if it's actually 'north'. It's created by the magnetism present in Earth's outer core.
Explain how the moon formed using evidence from the NASA assignment from last Friday to support your explanation.
The moon formed 4.6 billion years ago when a large body the size of Mars impacted the Earth. While most of the debris was reabsorbed by the Earth, the furthest flung material got trapped in orbit around the planet and formed the Moon. The most compelling evidence of this comes from the chemical sampling of rocks from both the Moon and Earth. This sampling shows that they share many chemical markers and isotopes.
Why does outer space experience such extreme temperature changes?
Because outer space is empty of all atoms there is nothing to absorb heat.
Identify the days and seasons associated with the solstices and equinoxes. You must identify all 8 (4 days and 4 seasons).
Summer = June 21st (longest day of the year and the beginning of summer.)
Winter = December 21st (shortest day of the year and the beginning of winter.)
Vernal Equinox = March 21st (beginning of spring)
Autumnal Equinox = September 21st (beginning of fall)