Astronomy

Question 1

difference between earth’s rotation and revolution

Answer 1

rotation- spins on axis

revolution- yearly orbit around sun

Question 2

how long is earth’s revolution and rotation

Answer 2

rotation- 24 hours/ 1 day

revolution- 365.25 days/ one year

Question 3

what causes day and night

Answer 3

earth’s rotation- side of earth facing the sun in daytime, while other side is nighttime

Question 4

what causes seasons

Answer 4

tilt of earth and earth’s revolution around the sun

Question 5

what shape is earth’s revolution around the sun?

Answer 5

ellipse (oval)

Question 6

when is earth closest to the sun

Answer 6

during winter in the northern hemisphere

Question 7

what is leap year

Answer 7

a year when an extra day is added to the calendar in February

Question 8

how often does a leap year occur? why?

Answer 8

every 4 years
the earth revolves around the sun every 365 days and 6 hours. our calendar is only 365 days. to make up for the missing 6 hours, we add a day to the calendar every 4 years

Question 9

whats the difference between an equinox and a solstice

Answer 9

equinox- 2 days a year when there is equal day and night

solstice- the days during the year where there is the longest amount of sunlight and the shortest amount of sunlight

Question 10

when does the equinox and solstice occur

Answer 10

equinox- 1st day of fall and spring

solstice- 1st day of summer and winter

Question 11

what is a lunar eclipse

Answer 11

the sun, earth and moon are in a line and earth’s shadow falls on moon
appears to go through moon phases and turn red during totality because the sunlight traveling through earth’s atmosphere bends and reflects on the moon
can only occur during night with full moon

Question 12

what is a solar eclipse

Answer 12

the sun, moon, and earth are in a line. the moon blocks out the sun
can only occur during day and new moon

Question 13

what causes tides

Answer 13

the gravitation pull of the sun and moon (mostly moon)

Question 14

when do tides occur

Answer 14

every 6 hours, 2 high tides and low tides

Question 15

difference between high tides and low tides

Answer 15

high tide- water level rises

low tide- water level decreases

Question 16

why does the moon appear to change shape?

Answer 16

the relative position of the sun, moon, and earth changes throughout the lunar cycle

Question 17

why do we only see one side of the moon

Answer 17

the moon rotates and revolves at the same speed (28 days)

Question 18

moon phases

Answer 18

new moon, waxing crescent, 1st quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent, new moon

Question 19

what are constellations

Answer 19

a group of stars that form a pattern in the sky that form a special formation

Question 20

why do constellations appear to change

Answer 20

as the earth rotates, constellations appear to move
as earth revolves around the sun, you see different constellations
some are visible all year because of their location

Question 21

what is a galaxy

Answer 21

a large group of stars, dust, and gas held together by gravity

Question 22

what galaxy do we live in

Answer 22

milky way-spiral

Question 23

3 types of galaxies

Answer 23

spiral- looks like a pinwheel
elliptical- looks like a flat disc, frisbee
irregular- has no definite shape

Question 24

comets, asteroids, meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites

Answer 24

comet- space object made of dust and rock particles mixed with frozen water, methane, and ammonia; creates a tail as it approaches the sun
asteroid- a large piece of rock or metal made up of material similar to that which forms planets, mostly found in the asteroid belt
meteoroid- a piece of rock or metal travelling in space
meteor- a meteoroid that burns up in earth’s atmosphere
meteorite- a meteoroid that strikes a moon or planet

Question 25

what is an asteroid belt? where?

Answer 25

a collection of asteroids located between the orbits of mars and jupiter

Question 26

mass, gravity, and weight

Answer 26

mass- the amount of matter in an object
gravity- an attractive force between objects that have mass
weight- gravity’s effect on an object’s mass
more mass=more gravity
more gravity=more weight