Earth, Moon & Sun System

The phases of the moon look different from the Earth because

• the moon orbits around the Earth and reflects the sun's light.

• the moon created its own light through fission.

• the tilt of the Earth causes different amounts of sunlight to be reflected.

• the moon revolves around the sun and the Earth blocks part of the view.

True or False: The moon reflects the sun's light, it does not create any light on its own.

• True

• False

If you see a full moon in the night sky, what is happening on the back side of the moon?

• It is dark and not reflecting any of the sun's light.

• It is lit on the back side as well.

• It is partially obstructed and will reflect only a portion of the light.

If tonight there is a new moon, what phase can you expect to see in two weeks? (Remember that the lunar cycle is approximately 29 days.)

• a full moon

• a waxing crescent moon

• a waning crescent moon

• a new moon

What does the work "waxing" tell you about the moon phase?

• the moon is getting bigger in the night sky

• the moon is getting smaller in the night sky

• the next moon phase will be a new moon

• nothing - it is just a made up word

What does the word "gibbous" tell you about the moon phase?

• it is more than half full but not quite a full moon

• you cannot see any moon in the night sky

• the moon is less than half full

• it is a full moon

In a lunar eclipse what passes between the sun and the moon to cause it to change to a reddish brown color?

• Earth

• an asteroid

• Mars

• a star

What do we see in the sky in a new moon phase?

• no moon at all

• half of the moon

• the entire moon

• a crescent shape

If a location on Earth has high temperatures in June and low temperatures in December, what can you tell about its relation to the sun?

• it is tilted towards the sun in June and experiencing summer

• it is tilted away from the sun in June and experiencing winter

• it does not experience seasons

• it is in the southern hemisphere

What do we call the rising and falling of the oceans? It occurs twice each day.

• tides

• currents

• waves

• swells