Moon Basics
What is a moon?
A ROCKY OBJECT THAT TRAVELS AROUND A PLANET.
The moon is lit by...
THE SUN.
What is a moon phase?
THE SHAPE OF THE ILLUMINATED PART OF THE MOON AS IT APPEARS FROM EARTH.
What is an orbit?
THE NEARLY CIRCULAR PATH A SMALLER OBJECT TRAVELS AROUND A LARGER OBJECT.
What happens to the moon during a lunar eclipse?
THE MOON IS COMPLETELY DARK.
What is the Sun?
THE STAR THAT IS THE MAIN SOURCE OF LIGHT AT THE CENTER OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.
How much of the moon is always lit?
HALF OF THE MOON.
TRUE or FALSE
Moon phases happen because of Earth’s shadow.
FALSE.
A pattern is...
SOMETHING WE OBSERVE TO BE SIMILAR OVER AND OVER.
What blocks light from reaching the moon during a lunar eclipse?
THE EARTH.
To illuminate is to...
SHINE LIGHT ON AN OBJECT AND MAKE IT VISIBLE.
Which side of the moon is always dark?
THE SIDE FACING AWAY FROM THE SUN.
Why do moon phases occur?
WE SEE DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF THE ILLUMINATED HALF OF THE MOON BECAUSE THE MOON MOVES TO DIFFERENT POSITIONS AROUND THE EARTH.
THE MOON'S ORBIT CAUSES ITS POSITION TO CHANGE AND WE SEE DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF THE LIT HALF FROM EARTH.
About how long does the moon take to orbit Earth?
ABOUT ONE MONTH.
Where is Earth located during a lunar eclipse?
DIRECTLY BETWEEN THE SUN AND MOON.
What is the terminator?
THE BORDER BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARK ON THE MOON.
How does light travel from the Sun?
IN STRAIGHT LINES.
Which half of the moon can we see from Earth?
THE HALF FACING THE EARTH.
Why do moon phases repeat?
THERE IS A PATTERN TO THE POSITION OF THE MOON IN ITS ORBIT AROUND THE EARTH.
Why don’t eclipses happen every month?
THE SUN, MOON, AND EARTH ARE NOT ALWAYS ALIGNED PERFECTLY.
TRUE or FALSE
The moon produces its own light.
EXPLAIN.
FALSE; THE SUN ILLUMINATES IT.
Why do we not always see the fully lit half?
IT DEPENDS ON THE POSITION OF THE MOON IN ITS ORBIT.
What is the name of the phase of the moon when it appears fully lit from Earth?
FULL MOON.
When a __________ is “to scale”, object sizes and distances are larger or smaller than in the real world but the same _________ to one another. Some models need to be “___________” to be useful.
MODEL; RELATIVE; "NOT TO SCALE".
What exact conditions are required for a lunar eclipse?
SUN, EARTH, AND MOON MUST BE IN A STRAIGHT LINE WITH EARTH IN THE MIDDLE.