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Review Sheet: UNIT 5

The Earth-Moon-Sun System

  1. Day, Night, and Seasons
  1. What is the difference between rotation, revolution, and orbit?Rotation is when something spins on its axis. Revolution is when one object goes around another object. Orbit is when one object goes around another, but it is held to its position by gravity.
  2. What is the tilt of the Earth’s axis?23.5o
  3. How long does it take for the Earth to make a complete rotation?24 hours
  4. How long does it take the Earth to revolve around the Sun?365.25 days
  5. What causes day and night? The Earth’s rotation. At any given time, ½ of the Earth is lit and ½ of the Earth is dark.
  6. A. Does the Earth rotate clockwise or counterclockwise when looking from above the North Pole?Counterclockwise

B. Which direction does the Earth revolve around the Sun?When looking at it from above in space, it revolves in a counterclockwise direction.

  1. A. Why does the Earth have seasons? (It has nothing to do with the distance from the Sun.)The Earth revolves around the Sun with its axis pointing towards the North Star. Because of the axis and the tilt of the Earth (23.5o). Different areas receive different amounts of sunlight. When the sunlight is concentrated on the northern hemisphere it is summer for us and the southern hemisphere is having winter (sunlight is more spread out). When the sunlight is equally distributed between the northern and southern hemisphere, it is fall and spring.

B. What direction does the Northern Hemisphere tilt during the summer? Towards the Sun.

C. The winter? Away from the Sun.

D. Be able to determine the seasons in each hemisphere by looking at a diagram.at Study the diagram in your seasons notes carefully.

8. Why does sunlight hit the Earth at different angles?Because the Earth is tilted 23.5o.

9. Which season has the longest days and the greatest amount of direct sunlight?Summer – longest daylight hours. Longest day occurs during the summer solstice in June.
10. Which season has the shortest days and has mostly indirect sunlight?Winter – shortest daylight hours. The shortest day occurs during the winter solstice in December.

11. Which seasons have an equal amount of day and night? Fall and spring. The days are half lit and half dark during the Spring Equinox (in March) and the Fall Equinox (in September).

12. What is the difference between direct and indirect sunlight?Direct light is more concentrated, hits at about 90o,and covers a smaller area. Indirect light hits at an angle and covers a much larger area.

13. Which area of the Earth gets the most direct sunlight all year long?The equator.

14. From a diagram, be able to list the seasons that occur from a given location.Study your season’s notes carefully.

  1. Moon Phases
  1. Does the Moon rotate? Yes. If it does, how long does it take for a complete rotation?The moon rotates counter clockwise (from above), and it takes a month to rotate. We don’t notice it because its rate of rotation is the same as its rate of revolution. That is why we always see the “man in the moon”.
  2. What causes the light on the Moon?The light from the Sun is reflected off the moon.
  3. Why do we always see the same side of the Moon?The moon rotates counter clockwise (from above), and it takes a month to rotate. We don’t notice it because its rate of rotation is the same as its rate of revolution. That is why we always see the “man in the moon”.
  4. About how long does it take for the moon to revolve around the Earth?One month.
  5. What keeps the Moon revolving around the Earth?The gravitational pull of the Earth holds the moon in our orbit.
  6. If we are looking at the Moon from above the Earth, which side is always lit?The side

of the moon that the Sun is on.

  1. What are different shapes of the moon that you see from the Earth called? New moon, waxing crescent, 1st quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, 3rd quarter, and waning crescent.
  2. About how long does it take to go through a whole set of moon phases?One month
  3. How long does each moon phase last?3-4 days (3.6 average)
  4. What does the phase of the moon that you see depend on?It depends on the location that you are at while viewing the moon from the Earth.
  5. What causes the moon’s phases?The Earth rotates and orbits around the Sun. The moon orbits around the Earth. It depends where we are located in relation to the moon and the Sun. The alignment of the Earth, the moon and the Sun determines hour it will look to us from different positions on the Earth.
  6. Be able to predict what Moon phase you will see from any location on Earth.Make sure you know the sequence well and can determine it from diagrams. Study your notes carefully, and be sure to look at your moon phase lab.
  1. If given moon phases on a calendar, be able to predict which phase you will see on a specific day.You need to know the sequence that they occur and also how

long each phase lasts (3-4 days).

  1. If given a sequence of moon phases, tell if they are waxing or waning.Remember that in a waxing moon, the lit surface is getting larger, and the light is on the right. In a waning moon, the lit surface is getting smaller, and the light is on the left.
  2. If you are given a graph or data table showing the illumination of the moon, beable to tell when the new moon and full moon are occurring. Also, be able to tell what happens to the moon after those phases.Study the graph and questions that you should have completed after the vocabulary test.
  3. You need to be able to predict the previous and next moon phase when shown a picture of the current moon phase.You need to know the sequence that they occur. Study your notes.
  4. When given a diagram of the Sun, Moon, and Earth, you need to be able to determine and draw the phase of the moon in a given location.You need to know the sequence that they occur. Study your notes.
  5. You need to know: waxing, waning, new moon, full moon, crescent, gibbous, first quarter, and 3rd quarter.Know what they look like from Earth, as well as their location in space (Sun, Earth, moon alignment). Study your notes.
  1. Tides
  1. A. What 3 things cause tides?Gravitational pull of the moon, then the Sun, and the Earth’s rotation.

B. Which “body” has the greatest effect on tides?The moon has the greatest effect on tides.

  1. A. What is the difference between a spring tide and a neap tide? In a spring tide, the Sun, Earth, and moon are aligned in a straight line. This has the highest high tides, as well as the lowest tides: greatest tidal range. The moon and the Sun’s gravitational pull work together. In a neap tide, the Sun Earth and moon are arranged at a 90o angle. The moon pulls one direction, and the Sun pulls another direction. High tides aren’t very high, and the tidal range is not that great.

B. Spring Tides

  • What moon phase(s) cause spring tides?New moon and full moon
  • How are the Earth, moon, and Sun aligned during a spring tide?In a straight line
  • What is the angle between the Earth, moon, and Sun during a spring tide?180o

C. Neap Tides

  • What moon phase(s) cause neap tides?1st and 3rd quarter
  • How are the Earth, moon, and Sun aligned during a neap tide?Sun is lined up with the Earth, and the Earth is lined up with the moon. However, the Sun and the moon are not lined up.
  • What is the angle between the Earth, moon, and Sun during a neap tide? 90o or right angle

3. Be able to read and interpret a tide graph.Look at some different tide graphs and be able to say when it is high or low tide.