May 14, 2013

 How long does it take for a planet to orbit around the sun?

 One year

 Why does the earth experience different seasons?

 Because the earth is tilted, allowing more hours of direct sunlight in the summer. Fewer hours of sunlight occur during the winter.

 Describe the orientation of the sun, earth, and moon during a lunar eclipse.

 SunEarthMoon

 What phase is the moon during a lunar eclipse?

 Full Moon

 Why don’t we see a lunar eclipse during every full moon?

 The moon is not perfectly aligned on the same plane as the sun and earth. The moon generally passes by the earth at an angle, allowing use to see a full moon.  When perfectly aligned with the sun and earth, the earth blocks the light from the sun.

 What is a spring tide?

 Very high and very low tides.

 What causes spring tides?

 When the sun, earth and moon are in full moon or new moon phases (aligned in a straight line).  Sun EarthMoon

 What are neap tides?

 Very little difference between high and low tides.

 During what moon phase do we see neap tides?

 When the sun, earth and moon are in first quarter or last quarter moon phases (sun and moon pulling at different angles.  Moon  Sun Earth

 The earth is a transparent, translucent, or opaque sphere?

 Opaque

 The earth rotates on its axis towards the North, south, east, or west?

 East

 Does the moon create its own source of light?

 No – it reflects light from the sun.  The sun is a luminous source of light.

 Which scientist described gravity as - a curvature of space around an object that affects the path of other objects traveling in space?

 Albert Einstein

 What is weight?

 The amount of gravity on an object.

 What is mass?

 The amount of matter within an object.

 Why does the moon rise 50 minutes later each day?

 As the moon orbits around the earth, the earth is rotating on its axis. In order for the moon to return to the same position on the earth, it must travel a little bit farther due to the rotation.

 What two factors is surface gravity dependent upon?

 Mass and radius

 What is a sidereal month?

 The amount of time it takes for the moon to travel completely around the earth.

 What is a synodic month?

 The times it takes for the moon to complete a full phase cycle.

 Which is longer – synodic month or sidereal month?

 Synodic month

 What is an annular eclipse?

 A ring formed around the moon because the orbit of the moon is not completely circular.  It occurs when the moon is slightly farther from the earth, which leaves the sun looking bigger than the moon, creating the ring around the moon.

 The force of gravity between two objects is directly related to what?

 The product of their masses  Inversely related to the square of the distance between the center of the two objects.

 Which Apollo mission brought the first man to the moon?

 Apollo 11 with Neil Armstrong

 Why do the phases of the moon occur?

 We view the moon from different angles, which changes the illuminated area that we can see.