Download Science Ch. 8 Planet Earth and Its Moon Study guide

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Science
Ch. 8 Planet Earth and Its Moon
Study guide
Re-read the lessons, review its questions, and use your interactive NB pages to also prepare.
Vocabulary:
eclipse – event in which one object in space gets between the sun and another object
ellipse – a shape that is like a circle stretched out in opposite directions
lunar eclipse – event in which the moon passes through Earth’s shadow. (Earth between moon and sun)
NASA – the government agency that runs the U.S. space program
orbit – path an object follows as it revolves around another object
revolution – movement of one object around another (Earth moving around the sun = 1 year)
rotation – spinning of a planet, moon or star around its axis (Earth’s rotation = 24 hours)
satellite – an object that moves around another object in space. (The moon is a satellite of Earth.)
solar eclipse – event in which the moon passes between the sun and Earth (be able to also identify this in a picture)
Notes:
1) Earth’s rotation causes day to turn into night and night into _day_.
2) Because of Earth’s rotation, objects in the sky (sun, moon and stars) appear to move from _east_to _west_ in the
sky. (The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.)
3) The Force of _Gravity_ keeps Earth revolving around the sun.
4) Shadows change their positions and sizes during the day as a result of Earth’s ____rotation_____.
(A shadow is at its __shortest_____ at noon.)
5) Seasons change during the year, as a result of Earth (tilted on its _axis___) moving around the _sun__.
6) The moon appears differently over the course of a month because different amounts of the lighted half of the moon
face Earth.
7) Neil Armstrong and __Buzz Aldrin___ landed on the moon and found no life on the moon.
8) The __Hubble__ Space Telescope helps scientists discover how galaxies and planets are formed.
Short answers:
1. Explain how the Earth’s rotation causes day and night.
When a place on Earth faces the sun, it is day in that place. When part of the Earth has rotated away from the sun, it
is night at that part of the Earth. (p.282 #4)
2. Explain how the Earth’s tilt on its axis changes how we experience the seasons and length of our days and nights in
North America.
The amount of the tilt affects how directly the sun shines on Earth as Earth travels in its orbit. In summer, we are
tilted towards the sun so a day is longer than night. In the winter we are tiled away from the sun and our days are
shorter. In the spring and fall, the axis is not tilted towards the sun so the lengths of the day and night are almost the
same length. (p.286-287)
3. How has technology improved our knowledge of the universe?
Technology has improved tools, such as satellites and telescopes so scientists can receive more accurate information
about space. (Question 6 p.299)