Study Guide for Unit Test on the Earth-Moon-Sun Relationship
Unit Test will be: Friday, May 23
Study Materials:
· Journal - daily objectives, class openers, completed homework, and glued-in notes in journal
· Class website – attached handouts, notes, answer keys, and related websites and animations
Test format: multiple choice, vocabulary, interpreting diagrams, critical thinking, essay
Topics:
· Moon Phases
o Please see your Moon Phases Quiz and list of study topics in journal
· Eclipses
o what causes solar and lunar eclipses - eclipses occur when the Earth, Moon, and Sun are in a perfect line.
§ Solar eclipse: the shadow of the moon falls on the Earth (new moon)
§ Lunar eclipse: the moon passes through Earth’s shadow (full moon)
o illustrate the positions of the Earth-Moon-Sun for each type of eclipse
o eclipses do not happen every new moon and every full moon because the moon orbits the Earth at a 5 degree tilt (so the Moon’s orbit around the Earth usually does not overlap with the Earth’s orbit around the sun)
· Tides:
o The pattern of rising and falling water levels due to the moon’s gravitational pull
o Gravitational pull of the moon on the Earth causes a bulge on the ocean surface directly facing the moon (direct high tide). Another bulge is created on the opposite side as water is “flung” around back (indirect high tide)
o The spaces in between the two bulges are tidal dips (low tide)
o Tides occur about 50 minutes later each day because it takes 24 hours and 50 minutes for a spot on Earth that is facing the moon to rotate so that it is facing the moon again the next day (because the moon moves!)
o illustrate the positions of the Earth, Sun, and Moon for high tides and low tides
o Spring tides have greater tidal ranges and occur during new moons and full moons when the Earth, moon, and sun are all in a line
o Neap tides have smaller tidal ranges and occur during first and third quarter moons when the Earth, moon, and sun form a right angle
· Seasons:
o Caused by the TILT of the Earth’s axis (not how close we or far away we are from the sun!)
o As Earth orbits the sun, the tilt means different hemispheres are pointed towards the sun at different times in our orbit each year.
o Northern hemisphere is tilted towards sun to create summer and tilted away from sun to create winter.
o a solstice is when a pole is tilted towards or away from the sun and receiving the maximum (longest daylight) or minimum (shortest daylight) amount of sunlight (the first day of summer and winter are solstices)
o an equinox is when the poles are equidistant from the sun and the hemispheres receive the same amount of sunlight, creating an equal day and night (the first day of spring and fall are equinoxes)
o The northern and southern hemispheres experience seasons at opposite times of the year
· Units of Time: Day – Month – Year
o a day is based on one Earth rotation
o a month is based on one Moon revolution around the Earth
o a year is based on one Earth revolution around the Sun
Vocabulary:
Rotate/rotation / Revolve / revolution / Moon phaseWaxing / Waning / Eclipse
Solar eclipse / Lunar eclipse / Tide
Spring tide / Neap tide / Tidal range
Season / Equinox / solstice