Atmosphere and Sun Quiz

Constellations

• Constellations are star groups that resemble people, animals, and objects
• The Big Dipper is a starting point for locating constellations and is part of the Great Bear/Ursa Major constellation
• The two stars in the Big Dipper's bowl farthest from the handle are called Pointers
• Polaris is the North Star and the last star in the handle of the Little Dipper
• The Big Dipper, Little Dipper, and Polaris can be seen all year round

Leo the Lion

• Leo is a constellation located just below Ursa Major and can be seen in February-June
• Regulus is a star found in Leo
• To find Regulus, draw a straight line down from the two stars in the Big Dipper that make up the side of the bowl closest to the handle

Herdsman

• The Herdsman is a star group found in the summer sky just under Ursa Major's nose
• Arcturus is the largest star in the Herdsman constellation
• To find the Herdsman, continue the curved line of the Big Dipper's handle to the star Arcturus

Sirius and Gemini

• Sirius is the brightest star in the sky
• Castor and Pollux are the names of the Twins (constellation)
• Gemini is visible between December and May and looks like two brothers holding hands
• To locate Gemini, draw an imaginary diagonal line that passes through the Big Dipper's bowl and continues outward from the bottom right corner

Orion and Scorpion

• Orion is the most impressive constellation and looks like a mighty hunter
• Betelgeuse and Rigel are the two supergiant stars in the constellation Orion
• The star Sirius is located in the Big Dog (Canis Major) constellation
• Scorpion is a constellation that looks like a dreaded arachnid and weaves through the Southern sky
• Antares is the most outstanding star found in the Scorpion

Moon

• The flat plains on the moon are called seas (maria)
• The Sea of Tranquility is one of the moon's flat plains where astronauts landed
• Apollo 11 was the spacecraft that landed on the moon in 1969
• The new moon marks the beginning of a lunar month and is also called the "hidden moon" or "invisible moon"
• The phases of the moon in order are: new moon, crescent phase, first quarter, gibbous phase, full moon, gibbous phase, third quarter, and crescent phase

Planets

• Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are the inner planets
• Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are the outer planets
• Pioneers 10 and 11, Voyagers 1 and 2, Galileo, and Cassini are the names of the spacecraft that have brought us information about the outer planets
• Mercury is the closest planet to the sun with a year lasting 88 days
• Venus is the brightest planet in the sky and is known as a twin planet with Earth

Sun and Atmosphere

• The sun gives us life and light

• The atmosphere is a blanket of air wrapped around the earth that warms, protects, and gives life

• Photosynthesis is the process by which our food is made through green plants

• The sun is a source of energy

• The core is the innermost section of the sun

• The photosphere is the surface layer of the sun that we see with our eyes

• Sunspots are dark spots on the sun's surface that are cooler than the surrounding gases

• The chromosphere is the fiery atmosphere of the sun that displays giant bursts of gas

• The corona is the vapor blanket surrounding the sun that is only visible during a total solar eclipse### The Solar System

• Earth is the only planet in the solar system that is suitable for life.

• Mars is known as the Red Planet.

• Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and has a swirling storm known as the Great Red Spot.

• Saturn is the second-largest planet and has seven bands of rings surrounding it at its equator.

• Titan, a moon of Saturn, is larger than Mercury and has its own atmosphere.

• Uranus is tipped over on its side, with its poles pointing directly towards and away from the sun during the summer and winter seasons, and has 13 dark rings.

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun and has the strongest winds in the solar system.

Moons and Atmosphere

• Triton, a moon of Neptune, has its own magnetic field and a very thin atmosphere, and is the coldest temperature measured in the solar system.
• The atmosphere is the protective wrapper around the Earth, and is made up of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen.
• Air is important for breathing, hearing, giving us fresh water, warming the Earth, and protecting the Earth.

The Earth's Atmosphere

• The troposphere is the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere and has air pressure.
• The troposphere is the narrowest layer of Earth's atmosphere.

Constellations

• Constellations are star groups that resemble people, animals, and objects.
• The Big Dipper is a star group that can be used as a starting point for locating constellations.
• The Big Dipper is part of the Ursa Major/Great Bear constellation.
• The two stars in the Big Dipper's bowl farthest from the handle are called the Pointers.
• Polaris is the North Star and is located in the Little Dipper.
• The Big Dipper, Little Dipper, and Polaris can be seen all year round.
• Leo the Lion is a constellation that can be seen in February-June.
• Regulus is a star found in Leo.
• The Herdsman constellation is found in the summer sky and Arcturus is the largest star in the Herdsman.
• Sirius is the brightest star in the sky and is located in the Canis Major constellation.
• Castor and Pollux are the names of the Twins (constellation).
• Gemini/the Twins is a constellation visible between December and May.
• Orion is the most impressive constellation and looks like a mighty hunter.
• Betelgeuse and Rigel are the two supergiant stars in the constellation Orion.
• The Scorpion is a constellation that looks like a dreaded arachnid and weaves through the Southern sky.
• Antares is the most outstanding star found in the Scorpion.

The Moon

• The flat plains on the moon are called seas (maria).
• The Sea of Tranquility is one of the moon's flat plains where astronauts landed on.
• Apollo 11 was the spacecraft that landed on the moon in 1969.
• A new moon marks the beginning of a lunar month and is also known as the "hidden moon" or "invisible moon".
• The phases of the moon in order are: new moon, crescent phase, first quarter, gibbous phase, full moon, gibbous phase, third quarter, and crescent phase.

The Inner and Outer Planets

• The inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.
• The inner planets are collectively known as the inner planets.
• Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are the four outer planets.
• The outer planets are collectively known as the outer planets.
• The names of the spacecraft that have brought us information about the outer planets are: Pioneers 10 and 11, Voyagers 1 and 2, Galileo, and Cassini.
• Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and has a year that is 88 days long.
• Venus is the brightest planet in the sky and is known as the twin planet of Earth.