Planetary Motion and Moon Phases Quiz

Planetary Motion

• Earth rotates on its axis, causing day and night.
• Earth revolves around the Sun, causing the seasons.
• Earth's tilted axis is responsible for varying seasons.

Moon Phases

• New Moon: Moon is positioned between the Earth and Sun, making it invisible.
• Waxing Crescent: A small sliver of the Moon becomes visible, growing larger.
• First Quarter: Half of the Moon is illuminated.
• Waxing Gibbous: More than half of the Moon is lit, nearing a full moon.
• Full Moon: The entire face of the Moon is visible.
• Waning Gibbous: The illuminated portion of the Moon starts to shrink from full.
• Last Quarter: Half of the Moon is visible, opposite to the first quarter.
• Waning Crescent: Only a small sliver of the Moon is illuminated, decreasing in size.

Eclipses

• Solar Eclipse: The Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, blocking the Sun's light.
• Lunar Eclipse: Earth passes between the Sun and Moon, blocking sunlight from reaching the Moon.

The Planets

• Planets in order from the Sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (MVEMJSUN).
• Each planet has unique characteristics regarding size, composition, and atmosphere. Examples include Earth's habitability, Mars' largest volcano, Jupiter's gas nature, and Saturn's rings.

Effects of the Sun on Earth

• The Sun provides essential energy for all life.
• Photosynthesis relies on sunlight for plants to create food.
• The Sun's gravity maintains Earth in its orbit.
• Ultraviolet radiation, while harmful, plays a part in Vitamin D production.
• Solar energy is harnessed from the Sun.
• Earth's tilt, along with the Sun's position, causes the seasons.
• Eclipses happen when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align.

Structure of the Sun

• The Sun's core is the central, hottest region where nuclear fusion occurs.
• Hot gases rise and cool within the Sun.
• The photosphere is the visible surface of the Sun.
• The chromosphere is a layer above the photosphere, glowing red.
• Solar flares and prominences are eruptions and loops of gas.
• The corona is the outermost, exceedingly hot, glowing layer.

Other Objects in the Universe

• Moons are natural satellites of planets.
• Satellites are artificial objects orbiting planets.
• Meteoroids are small rocks in space.
• Meteors are meteoroids burning up in Earth's atmosphere.
• Meteorites are meteors that collide with Earth's surface.

The Big Bang

• The universe originated from a dense and hot point, expanding for approximately 15 billion years.

The James Webb Telescope

• The James Webb Telescope is a space telescope providing high-quality images of distant parts of the universe.

Terminology

• Astronomical Unit (AU): The distance from Earth to the Sun.
• Asteroid: A small, rocky body, often found in the asteroid belt.
• Asteroid Belt: Located between Mars and Jupiter, composed primarily of asteroids.
• Astronomy: The scientific study of celestial objects.
• Aurora Borealis: The Northern Lights, caused by solar wind.
• Axis: The imaginary line Earth rotates around.
• Galaxy: A vast system of stars, planets, and other celestial objects.
• Big Bang: The widely accepted theory describing the universe's origin.
• Chromosphere: A layer in the Sun's atmosphere.
• Comet: An icy body that develops a tail when nearing the Sun.
• Constellation: A group of stars appearing as a pattern.
• Core: The central, hottest part of the Sun.
• Corona: The outermost layer of the Sun's atmosphere.
• Cosmology: The study of the universe's origins, evolution, and structure.
• Crater: A hole formed by a meteor impact.
• Crescent: A phase of the moon that is less than half illuminated.
• Eclipse: When one celestial body blocks another's light.
• Fusion: The process where hydrogen atoms transform into helium in stars.
• Galileo Galilei: Renowned scientist who improved the telescope.
• Geocentric: An Earth-centered model of the universe.
• Gibbous: A phase of the moon where more than half is illuminated.
• Gravity: The force of attraction between objects with mass.
• Heliocentric: A Sun-centered model of the universe.
• International Space Station (ISS): A space station orbiting Earth.
• James Webb Telescope: A powerful space telescope for distant observations.
• Jovian Planets: Gas giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune).
• Light Year: The distance light travels in one year.
• Luminous: Emitting light.
• Meteor: A meteoroid burning up in Earth's atmosphere.
• Meteorite: A meteoroid that survives atmospheric entry and lands on Earth.
• Meteoroid: A small rock or particle in space.
• Milky Way: Our galaxy.
• Moon: Earth's natural satellite.
• Orbit: The path of an object moving around another.
• Photosphere: The visible surface of the Sun.
• Planet: A celestial body orbiting a star.
• Polaris: The North Star, near Earth's north pole.
• Revolution: Earth's journey around the Sun.
• Rotation: Earth's spinning motion about its axis.
• Satellite: A natural or artificial object orbiting a planet or star.
• Solar Flare: A sudden burst of energy from the Sun.
• Solar Prominence: A large loop of gas emanating from the Sun.
• Solar System: The Sun and all the objects orbiting it.
• Solar Winds: Charged particles emitted by the Sun.
• Star: A luminous celestial object.
• Sunspot: Dark regions on the Sun's surface.
• Universe: Everything that exists, encompassing all matter and energy.
• Waning: Decreasing in size or illumination (e.g., phases of the Moon).
• Waxing: Increasing in size or illumination (e.g., phases of the Moon).

Space Review Questions

1. Rotation vs. Revolution:

   • Rotation: Earth spinning on its axis (causes day and night).
   • Revolution: Earth orbiting the Sun (causes seasons).

2. Stars' Movement:

   • Stars appear to move from east to west across the sky.
   • Polaris (North Star) remains nearly stationary.

3. Moon Phases:

   • New Moon: Moon positioned between Earth and Sun.
   • Full Moon: Earth positioned between Sun and Moon.

4. Eclipse Sketches:

   • Solar Eclipse: Moon blocks the Sun's light.
   • Lunar Eclipse: Earth blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon.

5. Planet Characteristics:

   • Specific details about each planet: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

6. Sun's Influence on Earth:

   • Benefits and drawbacks of solar energy and radiation.

7. Sun’s Cross Section Sketch:

   • Descriptions of various layers of the Sun (core, photosphere, chromosphere, corona) and processes happening within them.

8. Comets vs. Asteroids:

   • Differences between comets (icy bodies) and asteroids (rocky bodies).
   • Location of the asteroid belt.

9. Meteors, Meteoroids, Meteorites:

   • Definitions of meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites.
   • Formation of craters.

10. Big Bang Theory:

• Universe's beginning as a dense, hot point.
• Evidence supporting the Big Bang theory from redshift of galaxies and cosmic microwave background radiation.