Earth and Sun and the Night Sky

Miah says that she can see some star constellations during the winter, but not during the

summer. What causes her observations?

• The Earth revolving around the Sun.

• The stars moving around the Sun.

• The stars moving around Earth.

• The Earth rotating on its axis.

Earth rotates on its axis. It also revolves around the Sun. About how much time does it take

for the Earth to make one complete rotation on its axis?

• 24 hours

• 30 days

• 1 hour

• 365 days

Edan observed a pattern of stars called the Orion constellation from his front yard. Later the same evening, he observed that the Orion could be seen better from the backyard.

True or False

Edan explained that the Earth's rotation on its axis caused a shift in the appearance of the Orion constellation.

• True

• False

True or False:

Star patterns change as they appear to move across the sky.

• True

• False

True or False:

Different star patterns can be seen during different seasons.

• True

• False

True or False:

The star patterns are brighter at different times of the night.

• True

• False

True or False:

The star patterns remain in the same position every night.

• True

• False

Oscar went out and sketched the constellations at 7 p.m. Two hours later, he sketched the constellations again. How did the two sketches compare?

• the shapes of some constellations have changed

• none of the constellations would be the same after two hours

• The constellations would be exactly the same shape and in the same place.

• The constellations would be the same but drawn in different places on the paper.

Elyse observed the position of the Sun. She noticed where it was in the sky from morning to night. The position of the Sun changed

throughout the day and it was no longer visible in the evening. Which of these best explains Elyse's observations?

• The Sun moves away from Earth at night, and then returns each day.

• The Earth turns away from the Sun at night and then reverses back the other way each

  day.

• The Sun appears to move across our sky each day, but it is actually the Earth's rotation

  that makes it look that way.

• The Sun moves around the Earth once each day.

Which statement best explains why stars appear to move in the same pattern across the night sky?

• The stars are revolving around Earth.

• Earth revolves around the stars.

• Earth is rotating on its axis.

• The stars are rotating.