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Earth and Space Science > Earth in Space > Flashcards

Earth in Space Flashcards

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1
Q

when is the sun highest in the sky? (when the sun rays are most direct)

A

solar noon

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2
Q

what keeps an object in orbit?

A

gravity

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3
Q

what is being the center of the solar system called?

A

the sun is heliocentric.

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4
Q

how big is the sun star?

A

1,391,016km in diameter, aka 109 Earths can go across.

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5
Q

what does the sun create with its light?

A

shadows

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6
Q

in what kind of orbit does the earth revolve around the sun?

A

elliptical orbit

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7
Q

how many earths can fit inside the sun?

A

one million earths.

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8
Q

how far away is the sun from the earth?

A

149,600,000 km away from earth.

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9
Q

what is the earth’s source for heat and light energy?

A

the sun

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10
Q

the earth poles are parallel to the sun during which seasons?

A

spring and autumn (fall)

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11
Q

does the angle of separation between the earth and sun change throughout the day?

A

yes

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12
Q

what kind of relationship does the northern and southern hemisphere have in terms of seasons?

A

they have opposite seasons of each other.

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13
Q

how big is the earth in diameter?

A

12,756 km in diameter

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14
Q

when is the earth closest to the sun?

A

in december or january.

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15
Q

when is the angle of separation between the earth and sun greatest and lowest?

A

the angle of separation between the sun and the earth is greatest in the summer months and lowest in the winter months.

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16
Q

how many degrees is earth’s tilt on its axis?

A

the earth tilts 23.5 degrees on its axis.

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17
Q

what happens if there is are low and high angles of separations?

A

low angle of separation= long shadows

high angle of separation= short shadows

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18
Q

what length of shadows does solar noon produce?

A

solar noon produces the shortest shadows.

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19
Q

how many days does it take for the earth to revolve around the sun?

A

365.25 days

year

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20
Q

which way does earth rotate?

A

earth rotates counterclockwise.

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21
Q

what is earth’s natural satellite?

A

the moon.

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22
Q

when does leap year occur?

A

leap year occurs once every four years.

  1. 25 days for earth to revolve
  2. 25 x 4 = 1 day
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23
Q

what did galileo say about the solar system?

A

galileo said that the sun was the center of the solar system, not earth. (heliocentric instead of geocentric)

24
Q

how many days does it take for the moon to rotate?

A

27.3 days

25
Q

what does the moon reflect?

A

the moon reflects sunlight

26
Q

what does the moon revolve around?

A

the earth

27
Q

how many phases does the moon have?

A

the moon has eight phases

28
Q

does the moon’s appearance change after each phase?

A

yes

29
Q

does the moon rise and set at different times daily?

A

yes

30
Q

how many earths is the moon away from the earth?

A

30 earths away

31
Q

how much does the moon’s appearance change daily?

A

the moon’s appearance changes 5-7% daily.

32
Q

what at what tilt does the moon orbit earth on?

A

the moon orbits earth at a 5 degree tilt (lunar plane)

33
Q

how much smaller is the moon compared to the earth?

A

the moon is 0.27 (quarter) times the size of earth.

34
Q

how big is the moon in diameter?

A

384,000 km in diameter

35
Q

what does the sun radiate to earth?

A

hot and bright energy

36
Q

why do we experience day and night?

A

earth’s rotation on its axis

37
Q

describe the moon’s period of rotation and revolution

A

the moon is earth’s natural satellite and thus revolves around earth
it takes approximately 27.3 days for the moon to turn once on its axis AND to orbit earth (same rate)

38
Q

describe the relative size and distance relationships among the sun, earth, and moon

A
  • moon is 384,000km (30 earths away) from earth
  • sun is 150,000,000km from earth (12,000 earths away)
  • moon’s diameter is 3,500km (0.27 earths across)
    -sun’s diameter is 1,392,000km (109 earths across)
    earth’s diameter is 12,756km
39
Q

why can the moon appear as large as the sun even though we know the moon is much smaller than the sun?

A

while the sun is 400 times larger than the diameter of the moon, the sun is also 400 times farther away from earth than the moon

40
Q

why do shadows change during the day?

A

solar noon: sun is highest = shorter shadows
sunrise and sunset: sun is lowest = longer shadows
angle of separation is long: more direct sunlight and close to being vertical = shorter shadows
angle of separation is short: less direct sunlight and sunlight spreads out more = longer shadows
*the shadow is always opposite the light source

41
Q

explain why shadow lengths change throughout the year

A

summer: angle of separation is longer = shadows are shorter
winter: angle of separation is shorter = shadows are longer
earth’s 23.5 degree tilt

42
Q

what causes seasons?

A
  • earth’s 23.5 degree tilt
  • earth’s atmosphere
  • earth’s position in its orbit
43
Q

what factors affect how hot or cold it is in any one place on earth?

A
  • oceans
  • latitude (lower latitude = warmer temperature)
  • atmosphere absorbs and reflects energy
  • length of day
  • angle of separation between sun and earth
  • surface composition
44
Q

looking at the moon from space, how much of the moon always receives light from the sun?

A

half of the moon = illuminated
half of the moon = in moon’s shadow
(unless lunar eclipse occurs)

45
Q

why do we see moon phases?

A

perspective from earth - we see various amounts of illumination and shadow due to the moon’s position in its orbit

46
Q

why do solar and lunar eclipses occur?

A

lunar eclipse: the perfect alignment of the moon, earth, and sun
solar eclipse: the perfect alignment of the earth, moon, and sun

47
Q

during which phase of the moon does a solar eclipse occur?

A

new moon

48
Q

during which phase of the moon does a lunar eclipse occur?

A

full moon

49
Q

why don’t we have eclipses every month?

A

solar eclipses: usually the moon’s shadow falls either above or below earth due to 5 degree orbital lunar tilt
lunar eclipse: usually the earth’s shadow falls either above or below the moon

50
Q

how is earth protected from receiving too much solar radiation?

A
  • inverse square law
  • earth is the perfect distance from the sun to receive not too much or too little solar radiation
  • earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field absorbs, reflects, and scatters the sun’s incoming radiation
51
Q

what can you conclude from your observations of sunspots?

A
  • more sunspots = more solar activity
  • moves with the sun from west to east as the sun rotates on its axis
  • part of sun’s surface
  • sunspot maximums and minimums occur on 11 year cycles
52
Q

what is space weather?

A

radioactive particles that flow from the sun into space.

53
Q

how does space weather affect earth, including its space environment?

A

solar wind energizes the particles in space, which affect spacecraft, humans in space, and occasionally life on earth.
solar wind also causes changes in the space environment (auroras).
the radiation from space weather can endanger human life and health.

54
Q

what are auroras?

A

auroras are red or green and lights up the night sky near the north and south poles.

55
Q

how do auroras form?

A

auroras form when solar winds penetrate earth’s magnetic shield. at the poles, the charged particles from the sun become trapped, spiral toward earth’s magnetic poles, and collide with the gases in earth’s atmosphere, giving off energy that we see as colored lights in the sky because gases in earth’s atmosphere glow when being hit.

Earth and Space Science (7 decks)

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