Earth's Journey
How long does it take Earth to orbit the Sun?
Answer: 365¼ days
How long does it take for Earth to rotate once on its axis?
Answer: 24 hours
What angle is Earth's axis tilted?
Answer: 23.5 degrees
What happens during the Spring Equinox?
Answer: There are equal hours of daylight and darkness.
How long does it take the Moon to orbit Earth?
Answer: 29 days
What direction does Earth orbit when viewed from the North Pole?
Answer: Counterclockwise
Which direction does Earth rotate?
Answer: West to East
How does Earth's tilt affect seasons
Answer: It causes variations in sunlight, leading to different seasons.
What is the date of the Summer Solstice?
Answer: June 20/21
What causes the Moon to appear different in the sky?
Answer: Our changing view of the half-lit Moon as it orbits Earth.
What is the term for Earth's path around the Sun?
Answer: Orbit
What causes day and night?
The rotation of Earth; one side faces the Sun (day) and the other faces away (night).
Why is summer more extreme in some areas than others?
Answer: Because of the tilt and the angle of sunlight received. They get more direct sunlight.
What is the date of the Fall Equinox?
Answer: September 20/21
How many phases does the Moon have?
Answer: Eight phases
What is the significance of the extra 1/4 days it takes us to revolve around the sun?
Answer: It causes us to have a leap year every 4 years.
Why do we always see the same side of the moon at night?
Answer: Because the sun and the moon have synchronous rotation.
What is the difference between direct and indirect sunlight?
Direct sunlight hits the surface directly, while indirect sunlight is spread out and less intense.
Describe what happens during the Winter Solstice.
Answer: It has the least hours of sunlight in the year.
What is a solar eclipse?
Answer: When the Moon blocks the Sun from Earth, causing temporary darkness.
Describe the difference between rotation and revolution.
Answer: Rotation is the spinning of Earth on its axis; revolution is the orbit around the Sun.
What phase of the moon is this?
Waning gibbous
How does the tilt of the Earth affect climate?
Answer: It creates variations in temperature and weather patterns across the globe.
Why is it winter in January if Earth is closest to the Sun?
Answer: Because of the tilt, leading to indirect sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere.
Describe what happens during a lunar eclipse.
Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon.