1. Unit 9 Study Guide

2. Waxing Crescent Waning Crescent New Moon First Quarter Last Quarter
The Moon does not give off its own light, it only reflects the light from the Sun.
The lunar cycle takes about 28 days…that’s about 3 to 4 days per phase.
Waxing Crescent
Waning Crescent
New Moon
The amount of sunlight hitting the moon causes it to look different – called phases. You need to memorize these phases in order and be able to identify a picture of each phase.
Because the Moon rotates on its axis and revolves around the Earth in the same amount of time, we always see the same side of the moon.
First Quarter
Last Quarter
Full Moon
Waning Gibbous
Waxing Gibbous

3. The Earth is tilted on its Axis at an angle of 23. 5 degrees
The Earth is tilted on its Axis at an angle of 23.5 degrees. The Earth rotates on its Axis every 24 hours. It is day on the part of the Earth that the Sun’s light is hitting, and night on the other side of the Earth.

4. Seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth as it revolves around the Sun. Tilted toward the Sun is Summer. Away from the Sun is Winter.
It takes days (12 months) for the Earth to revolve around the Sun. It moves counterclockwise. B
North Star (Polaris)
Spring Equinox March 21st
Summer Solstice
June 21st
Fall Equinox C
Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice
Dec. 21st A
Seasons in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere are opposite of each other.
Summer Solstice
Fall Equinox
Sept 23rd D
NH = Northern Hemisphere
SH = Southern Hemisphere
Spring Equinox

5. A Solar Eclipse can ONLY happen during the position of a New Moon.
A Lunar Eclipse can ONLY happen during the position of a Full Moon.
These diagrams show the position of the Earth, Moon, and Sun when there is a Full Moon and a New Moon.
When the Sun, Earth, and Moon are at right angles to each other, a Neap Tide occurs.
When the Sun, Earth, and Moon are in a straight line, a Spring Tide occurs.
The bulge on the Earth shows the high tide caused by the pull of the Moon’s gravity on Earth’s water. It is low tide where it is not bulging.