Space Flash Cards
Which day of the year has the most daylight hours? Equinox or solstice?
Summer Solstice: June 21 or 22 (first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere).
Which day of the year has the least daylight hours? Equinox or solstice?
Winter Solstice: December 21 or 22 (first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere).
- In which season are we leaning towards the Sun?
- In this season, is the sun higher or lower in the horizon and do we have more or less daylight hours?
- Summer
- Higher/More
- In which season are we leaning away from the Sun?
- In this season, is the sun higher or lower in the horizon and do we have more or less daylight hours?
- Winter
- Lower/Less
What happens when Earth is leaning neither toward nor away from the Sun?
These are the fall and spring equinoxes, when the daylight and nighttime hours are the same.
Fill in the blanks:
The planets _______ around the Sun. The Earth ________ around the Sun once every ____. The Earth _______ on its own axis every __ hours. The Moon ________ around the Earth every 28.5 days and ________ once on its axis every 28.5 days.
The planets revolve around the Sun. The Earth revolves around the Sun once every year. The Earth rotates on its own axis every 24 hours. The Moon revolves around the Earth every 28.5 days and rotates once on its axis every 28.5 days.
Define axis.
An imaginary line that passes through Earth’s center and the North and South poles, about which Earth rotates.
Define rotation.
The spinning of Earth on its axis.
Define revolution.
The movement of one object around another.
Define orbit.
The path of an object as it revolves around another object in space.
What is tidal locking?
Synchronous rotation of earth and moon. We only see one side of the moon. Moon takes 28.5 days to rotate on axis and 28.5 days to revolve around earth.
Compare and contrast rotation and revolution.
ROTATION SIMILAR
- on axis -continuous circular motion
- 1 object -gravity
- sun -earth
- moonREVOLUTION - 2 objects - follows an orbital path
Describe the motion of the Earth, Moon, and Sun.
Earth- Revolves around sun and rotates on axis.
Sun- Rotates on axis.
Moon- Revolves around Earth and rotates on axis.
Compare and contrast the motion of the Earth and moon.
The motion of the earth and moon are similar because they both have orbits. They both revolve and rotate. The earth revolves around the sun and moon revolves around earth.
Why do we only see one side of the moon?
We only see one side of the moon because it takes the same amount of time for the moon to rotate and revolve.
