Question | Answer |
What is a rotation? | the spinning of a body on its axis |
What is a revolution? | One complete trip along an orbit. The motion of 1 object travelling around another object in space |
What are the seasons? | fall, winter, spring, summer |
What way is the Earth tilted during the Winter? | the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. |
What way is the Earth tilted during the Summer? | the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun |
What way is the Earth tilted during the Fall? | The Northern Hemisphere is starting to tilt away from the Sun |
What way is the Earth tilted during the Spring? | The Northern Hemisphere is starting to tilt toward the Sun |
What is the equinox? | when the Earth is straight on its axis (sun is directly above the equator) |
What is the solstice? | the point at which the sun is as far north or as far south of the equator as possible |
What is spring tide? | tides with the largest tidal range and occur during the new and full moons (the sun, Earth & moon are aligned |
What are neap tides? | tides with the smallest daily tidal range and occur during the 1st and 3rd qtrs. of the moon (the sun, Earth & moon form a 90 degree angle) |
What is the moon's orbital tilt degree? | 5 degrees |
What is a solar eclipse? | when the moon comes between the Earth and the sun and the shadow of the moon falls on part of the Earth |
What is a lunar eclipse? | when the Earth comes between the sun & the moon and the shadow of the Earth falls on the moon |
What is Kepler's 1st Law of Motion? | it states that orbits are elliptical (meaning planets move in an oval or ellipse instead of a circle) |
What is Kepler's 2nd Law of Motion? | it states that planets move faster when they are closer to the sun and slower when they are farther from the sun |
What is Kepler's 3rd Law of Motion? | it explains the relationship between the period of a planet's revolution and its semi-major axis. |
What is Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation? | the force of gravity depends on the product of the masses of the objects divided by the square of the distance between the objects |
What is inertia? | an object's resistance in speed or direction until an outside force acts on the object? |
What is gravity? | the force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth |
Why are gravity and inertia important to the planets' orbit? | there isn't any air to cause resistance and slow down the moving moon. Therefore, the moon continues to move, but gravity keeps the Earth in orbit. |
What is orbit? | the path that an object follows as it travels around another body in space |
What are the Earth's axis? | the line or tilt that the Earth turns |
What is the degree of tilt for Earth? | 23.5 degrees |