Download Moon Phases Study Guide

Chapter 2 Study Guide
One revolution of the earth around the sun takes 365 days.
One revolution of the moon around the earth takes 29.5 days about one month.
One rotation of the earth on its axis takes 24 hours, one day.
Be sure to know where the sun’s rays are directly shining during each of the four seasons.
Winter- Southern Hemisphere
Spring- The Equator
Summer- Northern Hemisphere
Fall- The Equator
The earth rotates on an imaginary line called its axis.
An orbit is a path an object follows as it moves around another object. Planets orbit the sun.
The closer the planet is to the sun, the smaller the orbital path. The further a planet is from
the sun, the larger the orbital path.
Since the moon revolves around the earth in an orbit, the moon is sometimes called the earth’s
satellite.
What causes the ocean tides to earth to change?
The moon’s gravitational pull on the earth causes the ocean tides on earth to change.
What is the sun?
It is a star and it is the center of our solar system.
What makes up the sun?
It is a hot ball of glowing gases.
What force keeps all of the planets in orbit around the sun?
A force called gravity keeps all of the planets in orbit around the dun.
The Moon
Be sure to know the different phases of the moon. Draw a picture next to each phase.
New Moon- the face of the moon is completely dark; this phase begins and
ends the cycle of moon phases
Waxing Crescent- the face of the moon seems to be getting bigger and only
a sliver or crescent shape on the right hand side can be seen
First Quarter Moon- only the right half of the moon’s face is shining
Waxing Gibbous- the face of the moon seems to be getting bigger, only a
crescent of darkness remains on the left hand side
Full Moon- the entire face of the moon is shining and can be seen from the
earth
Waning Gibbous- the face of the moon begins to get smaller, only a crescent
shape on the right hand side is dark
Last Quarter Moon- only the left half of the moon’s face is shining
Waning Crescent- the face of the moon continues to get smaller, only a
crescent shape of the left hand side is shining
New Moon- the cycle of moon phases begins again after a month of moon
revolutions around the earth
About 2 weeks after a new moon we can see a full moon.
What causes night and day?
The earth rotates on its axis causing one side (the side facing the sun) to be lighted and
the other side (the side facing away from the sun) to be dark. This explains why Earth has night
and day and why the sun appears to rise and set each day.
Two ways the earth and the moon are alike.
o They both rotate on their axis.
o They both have rocks and soil.
Ways the earth and the moon are different.
o The earth does have air and water.
o The moon does not have any air or water.
o The earth revolves around the sun.
o The moon revolves around the earth.
o Earth is made up of solids and liquids.
o The moon is made up of solids only.
Stars
A star’s color tells us about its temperature (how hot it is).
Ursa Major is a constellation. A constellation is made up of a group of stars.
Stars’ positions seem to change during the seasons. This is because Earth is orbiting the sun and
we are seeing different parts of space at different times of the year.
The Sun is a star. It is what our solar system orbits around. We orbit around the sun. It is a
large ball of hydrogen and mostly helium.
Planets
Some planets can be observed as bright objects in the night sky. If you observed them each
night, you would notice it would be in a different position. This is because of that planet’s orbit
around the sun.