The Sun, Moon, and Earth System Flashcards
An astronomical unit (AU) is defined as the distance between…
the Earth and the Sun
Which of the following statements about the sun’s electromagnetic energy is not correct?
A. it forms a continuous Spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays
B. it’s longest waves appear deep red and its shortest waves appear Indigo or violet
C. the visible spectrum contains only the waves that we can see
D. about 93% of the sun’s energy output is admitted has electromagnetic energy
B. it’s longest waves appear deep red and its shortest waves appear Indigo or violet
The sun is mostly composed of…
Hydrogen
Astronomers believe that sunspots form when…
pairs of local magnetic disturbances appear on the sun’s surface
Severe solar storms that can disrupt telecommunications on Earth are called…
Solar Flares
Most of the radiated energy from the Sun travels in the form of high-energy…
Electromagnetic waves
What is a continuation of the sun’s atmosphere?
Solar Wind
A… ? …is a glowing sheet of colored lights above the Earth’s north and south pole.
Aurora
A depression on the surface of the Moon usually surrounded by circular walls is a…
Crater
Materials blasted out of a crater during a meteorite impact is a…
Ejecta
The visible surface of the Sun is called the…
Photosphere
The region within the sun where energy travels primarily has electromagnetic waves is the…
Radiative Zone
The outer region of the sun’s atmosphere is called the…
Corona
A large dark area on the surface of the Moon is called a…
Mare
The entire range of electromagnetic waves released by the sun is called the…
Solar Spectrum
Hot plasma rises to the surface, cools, and descends into the sense interior again in the sun’s…
Convective Zone
Streams of plasma that rise up into in descend from the sun’s Corona often forming loops are called…
Prominces
Know the phases of the moon.
Moon
Explain the terms nearside, Far Side, light side, and dark side as they relate to the Moon.
The near side and the Far Side of the Moon are relative to the Earth. The near side is the side that constantly faces the Earth. The Far Side is the side that is always facing away from the earth. The light side and dark side are relative to the Sun. The light side is facing (lit up by) the Sun. The dark side is facing away from the Sun and therefore in a shadow.
Why do we have leap years?
A calendar year is made up of 365 days, but it takes slightly longer (365.2425 days) for the sun to travel completely around the ecliptic. Every 4 years we add a day (February 29th) to make the difference. Leap Centuries addresses the difference between the 365.25 days and the 365.2425 days, but students shouldn’t be expected to include this information.
Be smart and learn this extra bit!
