Download Space Study Guide 4.7

Space Study Guide 4.7
One full spin of an object on its axis
What is rotation?
To move in a circle around something else.
What is revolution?
The earth revolves
around the sun and
the moon revolves
around the earth.
What is the difference
between rotation and
revolution?
Rotate = spin around the axis
Revolution = spin around an object
The Earth completes one revolution around the sun every
365 days. The moon revolves around the Earth about
once every month.
Due to its axial tilt, the Earth experiences seasons during
its revolution around the sun.
What causes seasons?
The northern hemisphere (top) of the earth has summer when it
is tilted towards the sun. This is shown in the globe on the left.
The northern hemisphere has winter when it is facing further
away from the sun. This is shown in the globe on the right.
How would you describe the
sun?
Include its approximate size,
color, age, and overall
composition.
The sun is an average-sized yellow star, about 110 times the
diameter of the Earth. The sun is approximately 4.6 billion
years old.
What is the relationship
between the sun, Earth, and
moon?
Include approximate distances
and sizes.
Be able to draw this too!
If the Sun were the size of a parachute that reaches from one
side of School Street to the other by the stop sign, the earth
would be the size of a globe way down by the gym, and the
moon would be an arms’ length away from the earth, the size
of a tennis ball!
The moon and sun look almost the same size when we see
them in the sky because the moon is so much closer to us than
the sun. Things that are closer, look larger. Things that are
farther away, look smaller.
How would you describe the
surface conditions of the
moon?
How would you describe the
surface conditions of the
Earth?
Our moon is a small rocky satellite, having about one-quarter
the diameter of the Earth and one-eightieth its mass. It has
extremes of temperature, virtually no atmosphere, no water,
and no life.
The Earth is one of nine planets that revolve around the sun
and comprise the solar system. The Earth, the third planet from
the sun, is one of the four rocky inner planets. It is about 150
million kilometers from the sun.
The Earth is a geologically active planet with a surface that is
constantly changing. Unlike the other three inner planets (see
previous bullet), it has large amounts of life-supporting water
and an oxygen-rich atmosphere. The Earth’s protective
atmosphere blocks out most of the sun’s damaging rays.
How would you describe the
surface conditions of the
Sun?
The Sun's photosphere (surface) has a temperature between
6,000°C (11,000°F). Solar energy is created deep within the
core of the Sun at much higher temperatures. The sun is
composed of cells of gas each approximately 1000 km in
diameter with hot rising gas in the center and cooler gas
falling in the narrow spaces between them. This gives the
sun a burning, boiling look.
Draw pictures of the Earth,
moon, and Sun.
Look at the pictures in your science book for help.
How would you compare and
contrast an Earth-centered to
the sun-centered model of
the solar system?
Some people from ancient times believed that the Earth was
the center of the universe and the Sun, stars, and planets
revolved around it. This is called an Earth-centered model.
What are the differences in
what Aristotle, Ptolemy,
Copernicus, and Galileo
observed?
What influenced their
conclusions?
Aristotle was a Greek astronomer who believed that the Earth
was the center of the entire universe. Ptolemy was an
Egyptian astronomer who also believed in an Earth-centered
model.
Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, believed that the Earth was
not still but moving. He hypothesized that the Sun was the
center of the solar system and that the Earth, along with other
planets revolved around it. After Copernicus came an Italian
astronomer by the name of Galileo. With the help of his new
and improved version of the telescope, Galileo was able to
prove that Copernicus’s Sun-centered model was correct.
How would you draw the
eight moon phases, sequence
the phases in order, and
describe how the phases
occur?
We see different amounts of the sun’s light reflected off of the
surface of the moon. The moon does not get bigger and
smaller in the sky.
How would you describe a
contribution of the NASA
Apollo missions to our
understanding of the moon?
Other people thought that the Sun was the center of the solar
system and that the Earth, along with other planets revolved
around it. This was called the Sun-centered model.
Scientists have identified eight phases of the Moon.
They include the new Moon (no Moon visible), the waxing
crescent (small sliver visible), the first quarter (half of Moon
visible), waxing gibbous (over half of Moon visible), full (full
circle visible), waning gibbous (over half of Moon visible),
last quarter (half of Moon visible), and waning crescent
(small sliver visible). As the Moon moves from new to full, it
appears to grow larger. This is called waxing. As the Moon
moves from full back to new, it appears to grow smaller. This
is called waning.
The NASA Apollo missions added greatly to our
understanding of the moon.
Our understanding of the sun, moon, and the solar system
continues to change with new scientific discoveries.