Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the main reason why we experience seasons on Earth?
What is the main reason why we experience seasons on Earth?
What is the term for the point when day and night are equal in length?
What is the term for the point when day and night are equal in length?
What is the term for a small rocky object that orbits the Sun?
What is the term for a small rocky object that orbits the Sun?
What is the process by which a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up, producing a bright streak in the sky?
What is the process by which a meteoroid enters the Earth's atmosphere and burns up, producing a bright streak in the sky?
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What is the term for a star that is no longer in the main sequence stage of its life cycle?
What is the term for a star that is no longer in the main sequence stage of its life cycle?
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What is the term for a diagram that shows the relationship between a star's surface temperature and its luminosity?
What is the term for a diagram that shows the relationship between a star's surface temperature and its luminosity?
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What is the term for a galaxy that has a spiral shape?
What is the term for a galaxy that has a spiral shape?
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What is the term for the distance light travels in one year?
What is the term for the distance light travels in one year?
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What is the primary reason for the Moon's apparent change in shape from day to day?
What is the primary reason for the Moon's apparent change in shape from day to day?
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What is the term for a star that has a mass of 100 times that of the Sun?
What is the term for a star that has a mass of 100 times that of the Sun?
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What is the significance of the H-R diagram in understanding the life cycle of stars?
What is the significance of the H-R diagram in understanding the life cycle of stars?
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What is the term for a galaxy that is characterized by its irregular shape?
What is the term for a galaxy that is characterized by its irregular shape?
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What is the term for the time it takes for the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun?
What is the term for the time it takes for the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun?
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What is the term for a star that is in the main sequence stage of its life cycle?
What is the term for a star that is in the main sequence stage of its life cycle?
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What is the term for the point at which the Sun is at its highest point in the sky, resulting in the longest day of the year?
What is the term for the point at which the Sun is at its highest point in the sky, resulting in the longest day of the year?
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What is the term for a small rocky object that is in orbit around the Sun, but is not large enough to be considered a planet?
What is the term for a small rocky object that is in orbit around the Sun, but is not large enough to be considered a planet?
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What is the term for the process by which a star's core collapses, causing a massive explosion?
What is the term for the process by which a star's core collapses, causing a massive explosion?
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What is the term for the closest star to the Earth, other than the Sun?
What is the term for the closest star to the Earth, other than the Sun?
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Study Notes
Earth's Rotation and Orbit
- Rotation: spinning of Earth on its axis
- Day: time it takes Earth to rotate once on its axis (24 hours)
- Revolution: time it takes Earth to orbit the Sun (365.25 days)
- Year: time it takes Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun
- Leap year: year with 366 days to account for extra time
- Daytime: when the Sun rises above the horizon
- Nighttime: when the Sun sets below the horizon
Equinoxes and Solstices
- Equinox: when day and night are equal in length (spring and fall)
- Solstice: longest or shortest day of the year (summer and winter)
- Seasons: caused by Earth's tilt on its axis and orbit around the Sun
Phases of the Moon
- Lunar month: time it takes the Moon to orbit Earth (28 days)
- Phases: new Moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full Moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent
- Changing view of Moon due to relative positions of Earth, Sun, and Moon
Rocky Chunks
- Asteroids: small rocky objects in solar system
- Dwarf planets: large rocky objects in solar system
- Comets: icy bodies that release gas and dust near Sun
- Meteoroids: small rocky or metallic objects in space
- Meteors: Meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere and burning up
- Meteorites: Meteoroids surviving entry into Earth's atmosphere and landing on surface
Comets and Meteoroids
- Process: meteoroids burning up in atmosphere, some surviving as meteorites
- Famous comets: Halley's Comet, Comet Hale-Bopp, Comet Hyakutake
- Dwarf planets: Pluto, Eris, Ceres, Haumea, Makemake
Stars
- Light-year: unit of distance (9.46 trillion kilometers)
- Constellation: pattern of stars in the sky
- Main sequence: stage of a star's life cycle
- Binary star: two stars orbiting each other
- Luminosity: amount of energy emitted by a star
- Alpha Centauri: nearest star to the Sun
- Proxima Centauri: closest star to the Sun
- Polaris: North Star
- Little Dipper: asterism in the constellation Ursa Minor
H-R Diagram
- Graph of luminosity vs surface temperature for stars
- Location of white dwarfs and giant stars on the diagram
- Significance of red giant and red supergiant stages
Composition and Evolution of Stars
- 1 solar mass vs 100 solar masses: differing life cycles of stars
- White dwarf vs supernova → black hole: two possible ends of a star's life cycle
Galaxies
- Galaxy: massive, gravitationally bound system of stars and interstellar medium
- Universe: all existing matter and space
- Milky Way: our home galaxy
- Andromeda: nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way
- Classification of galaxies: spiral, elliptical, and irregular
Earth's Rotation and Orbit
- Rotation: spinning of Earth on its axis
- Day: time it takes Earth to rotate once on its axis (24 hours)
- Revolution: time it takes Earth to orbit the Sun (365.25 days)
- Year: time it takes Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun
- Leap year: year with 366 days to account for extra time
- Daytime: when the Sun rises above the horizon
- Nighttime: when the Sun sets below the horizon
Equinoxes and Solstices
- Equinox: when day and night are equal in length (spring and fall)
- Solstice: longest or shortest day of the year (summer and winter)
- Seasons: caused by Earth's tilt on its axis and orbit around the Sun
Phases of the Moon
- Lunar month: time it takes the Moon to orbit Earth (28 days)
- Phases: new Moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full Moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent
- Changing view of Moon due to relative positions of Earth, Sun, and Moon
Rocky Chunks
- Asteroids: small rocky objects in solar system
- Dwarf planets: large rocky objects in solar system
- Comets: icy bodies that release gas and dust near Sun
- Meteoroids: small rocky or metallic objects in space
- Meteors: Meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere and burning up
- Meteorites: Meteoroids surviving entry into Earth's atmosphere and landing on surface
Comets and Meteoroids
- Process: meteoroids burning up in atmosphere, some surviving as meteorites
- Famous comets: Halley's Comet, Comet Hale-Bopp, Comet Hyakutake
- Dwarf planets: Pluto, Eris, Ceres, Haumea, Makemake
Stars
- Light-year: unit of distance (9.46 trillion kilometers)
- Constellation: pattern of stars in the sky
- Main sequence: stage of a star's life cycle
- Binary star: two stars orbiting each other
- Luminosity: amount of energy emitted by a star
- Alpha Centauri: nearest star to the Sun
- Proxima Centauri: closest star to the Sun
- Polaris: North Star
- Little Dipper: asterism in the constellation Ursa Minor
H-R Diagram
- Graph of luminosity vs surface temperature for stars
- Location of white dwarfs and giant stars on the diagram
- Significance of red giant and red supergiant stages
Composition and Evolution of Stars
- 1 solar mass vs 100 solar masses: differing life cycles of stars
- White dwarf vs supernova → black hole: two possible ends of a star's life cycle
Galaxies
- Galaxy: massive, gravitationally bound system of stars and interstellar medium
- Universe: all existing matter and space
- Milky Way: our home galaxy
- Andromeda: nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way
- Classification of galaxies: spiral, elliptical, and irregular
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Description
Learn about Earth's rotation, revolution, and how it affects our experience of day and night, seasons, and the phases of the moon. Understand the significance of equinoxes and solstices, and how to label the lunar cycle.
