Science Astronomy Revision Flashcards
Which direction does the Earth rotate on its Axis?
Anticlockwise
What causes Seasons?
Earth’s tilt and the direction of the Sun to the Earth.
What is a Solar Eclipse?
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun causing a shadow to fall on certain portions of the Earth. This only happens on a new moon, it is less likely to see than a lunar eclipse. The eclipse is not seen from every place on Earth, but only from the locations where the shadow falls. From these locations, it appears as if the Sun has gone dark.
What is a Lunar Eclipse?
During a lunar eclipse, the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the light from reaching the Moon. This only happens on a full moon. Lunar eclipses can be viewed without special equipment to protect the eyes. Lunar eclipses are not totally dark. The Moon will reflect some sunlight that is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere. The light that is refracted is reddish in colour and can cause the Moon to appear a dark brownish-red.
What is an axis? And by how many degrees is Earth tilted by an axis?
An axis is an imaginary line running through the centre of the Earth from north to south, about which the Earth rotates. The Earth’s axis is 23.5 degrees.
What is an eclipse?
An eclipse occurs when a body in space blocks the light of the sun for a short while. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth blocks the Sun’s light and makes a shadow on the Moon. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon blocks the Sun’s light and makes a shadow on the Earth.
What is the far side of the moon?
The far side of the moon is the part that is never seen from Earth because the Moon takes about the same time to spin around once as it does to orbit the Earth.
What would happen if the Earth had a straight axis?
The Earth would only have one season, where it would be hot days and cold nights. The South and North Pole would probably just be freezing cold all the time with no clear distinction between day and night.
What is the Order of the Phases of the Moon?
New Moon Waxing Cresent 1st Quarter Waxing Gibbous Full Moon Waning Gibbous Final Quarter Waning Cresent New Moon
What are Seasons?
A season is one of the four equal periods into which the year is, resulting from the apparent movement of the sun north and south of the equator during the course of the earth’s orbit around it. These periods (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) have their characteristic weather conditions in different regions, and occur at opposite times of the year in the N and S hemispheres.
