FOSS Earth and Sun Investigation 2

You are in a spaceship directly above the solar system. The Sun is at the center of the system. What best describes the Earth's orbit around the Sun?

• 
• 
• 
• 

What is the name of the force that holds Earth in orbit around the Sun?

• Jedi
• gravity
• inertia
• push

A group of students were having an argument over why the Sun is so much brighter than other stars we see in the sky.  Which student do you think has the best argument?

• The Sun is brighter because we see it during the day.
• The Sun is brighter because it is so hot.
• All Stars are the same distance away, but the Sun is biggest so it is the brightest.
• The Sun appears brightest because it is much closer to Earth than any other star.

• A
• B
• C
• D

How long does it take the Moon to orbit Earth?

• About 1 day
• About 1 week
• About 1 month
• About 1 year

How long does it take the Moon to cycle from full Moon to full Moon?

• About 1 day
• About 1 week
• About 1 month
• About 1 year

The diameter of the Sun is about ____ the size of Earth.

• one-half
• one-third
• 100 times
• 500 times

The Sun is about _______ Earth diameters away from Earth.

• 100
• 12,000
• 1,500
• 656

If you represented Earth with a ball that is 8 cm in diameter, how big should a ball be to represent the Moon in the same model?

• 2 cm
• 4 cm
• 6 cm
• 8 cm

How far away should you position the Moon ball from the Earth ball in the model described above?

• 800 cm (8 m)
• 16 cm (0.16 m)
• 120 cm (1.2 m)
• 240 cm (2.4 m)