Apparent Motion

The stars appear to move across Earth’s sky. Which statement explains why this happens?

• The stars rotate.

• Earth orbits the sun.

• The moon orbits Earth.

• Earth rotates on its axis.

Caroline looks up at the night sky on a clear night. She is searching for patterns of stars in the sky. What is Caroline looking for?

• planets

• galaxies

• constellations

• other planets' moons

Some constellations are visible from different places on Earth only during a part of the year. Why are certain constellations not visible everywhere on Earth all year long?

• sun’s rotation

• Earth’s rotation

• sun’s revolution

• Earth’s revolution

If you look up at the night sky long enough, the stars will appear to move across the sky. What is responsible for making the stars appear to move across the sky at night?

• Earth’s revolution

• Earth’s rotation on its axis

• Earth’s position in its orbit

• Earth’s distance from the sun

If you stare closely at the night sky, the stars will seem to move. However, there is one star that will not appear to move no matter how long you stare at it. Look at the illustration.

• Star A

• Star B

• Star C

• Star D

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Stars form patterns known as constellations. People on Earth have given the constellations names. The table lists the constellations that can be seen throughout the year in the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere. What can you conclude?

• The constellations that appear depend on the time of night.

• The constellations that appear depend on the season of the year.

• Different constellations form the same pattern of stars in the sky.

• Some constellations appear only in the Northern Hemisphere and others appear only in the Southern Hemisphere.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1