Download Planets and Stars Study Guide Test Date: ______ Vocabulary to

Planets and Stars Study Guide
Test Date: ___________
Vocabulary to know:
Axis
Revolve
Star
Planet
Solar system
Galaxy
1. Why does earth have day and night? What happens?
Earth’s rotation causes us to have day and night. It takes 24
hours.
Earth turns on its axis.
2. What does a stars’ color tell us?
How hot or cold the star is.
3. What does a “new moon” look like? When do we usually have
one?
A new moon is when no light is being reflected because the
earth’s shadow is blocking the sun. It is going to look similar
to a full moon, but not as bright. We usually see a full moon 2
weeks after a new moon.
4. What is a constellation?
A group of stars that seem to make a picture in the sky. Ex:
Ursa Major
5. What are Ursa Major, The Big Dipper, and Orion?
Constellations!
6. If you see a bright object in the sky that is in a
different place each night for a week, what is the object?
Why does this happen?
It is a planet! This is because of the planet’s paths of orbit,
as well as earth’s revolution around the sun.
7. How do planets and stars relate to one another (think:
which one orbits the other)?
A planet is an object that orbits a star.
8. What is the sun mostly made up of?
Hydrogen and Helium
9. What technology is important when studying space?
Hubble Space Telescope
10.
What is the Hubble Space Telescope? What does it do?
A large object that floats in space to take pictures of stars
and planets.
11.
What does the rotation of Earth on its axis cause?
Day and Night!
12.
What causes seasons?
Earth’s revolution around the sun.
13.
Why do we see different parts of space at different
times of the year?
We see different parts of space at different times of the
year because the earth is revolving and therefore showing
different parts of the night sky as it moves around the
sun.
14.
Why does the moon seem to have different shapes or
phases?
It appears to have different shapes or phases because as it
orbits the Earth, different amounts of the sun’s light is being
reflected on to the moon.
15.
What is the difference between when the Earth rotates
vs. when the Earth revolves?
When the earth rotates, it takes 24 hours (or one day), and
causes us to experience day and night. When the earth revolves
it takes 365 days (or one year) and causes us to experience
seasons.