WGU Astronomy

Which of the following BEST explains why a full moon looks bigger than a crescent moon?

• During a full moon, the part of the Moon that is lit up by the Sun is completely visible from Earth.

• During a full moon, the Moon is producing its highest amount of light energy.

• During a full moon, more of the Sun’s light reaches the Moon than during a crescent moon.

• During a full moon, the Moon has much more mass than during a crescent moon.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Leonard was looking into his telescope at the stars. He left for a few hours and came back to look again. He noticed the stars appeared to have moved. Why is that?

• The Earth is revolving around the sun.

• The Earth is rotating on its axis.

• The stars are moving at high speeds across the sky.

• The stars are revolving around the Earth.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Emery looked out her window one night and saw a very bright star just over the top of a tree. What would happen if Emery looked out the window later that night?

• The star is not visible, because as Earth rotates, the stars seem to move.

• The star is gone because some stars move faster than others in the night sky.

• The star is still there because the Earth revolves so the stars stay in place.

• The star is gone because the stars only shine for a few hours each night.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Jared’s front door has four small windows. He notices the sun shining through the top-right window. But after 30 minutes, he can no longer see the sun through the window. Which of the following best explains why the sun disappears from the top-right window?

• The Earth’s seasons

• the Earth’s rotation

• the Sun revolving around the Earth

• the Earth revolving around the Sun

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Edmonton, Canada is a city in the Western Hemisphere. Minsk, Belarus is a city in the Eastern Hemisphere. Both cities are located on the same line of latitude. Which of the following is true about these two cities?

• When it is summer in Edmonton, it is summer in Minsk.

• When it is daytime in Edmonton, it is daytime in Minsk.

• When it is summer in Edmonton, it is winter in Minsk.

• When it is raining in Edmonton, it is raining in Minsk.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Remember Jared??? Jared’s front door has four small windows. He notices the sun shining through the top-right window. But after 30 minutes, he can no longer see the sun through the window. When will Jared be able to see the sun shining through the top-right window again?

• In approximately 24 hours

• In approximately 12 hours

• In approximately 1 hour

• In approximately 30 minutes

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

The diagram shows the Earth at two positions in its orbit around the Sun. Which statement about position 1 is true?

• It is daytime everywhere in Western hemisphere.

• It is winter at the South Pole.

• It is daytime everywhere in the Southern hemisphere.

• It is summer at the South Pole.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Elena looked up in the night sky and saw the Moon. She noticed that most of the Moon was dark. Elena continued observing the Moon every night for the next two weeks. She noticed that as the days went by, the appearance of the Moon changed. Larger portions of the Moon became bright, and eventually, the entire face of the Moon was bright. Which of the following best explains the changes in the appearance of the Moon that Elena observed?

• the Earth’s rotation

• the Moon revolving around the Earth

• the Earth revolving around the Sun

• the Sun revolving around the Earth

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1

Earth's rotation (turning on its axis) causes

• Day and night

• Solar eclipse

• The seasons to change

• The moon to appear as different shape

Every day the sun appears to--

• Rise in the west and set in the east

• Rise in the east and set in the west

• Rise in the north and set in the south

• Rise in the south and set in the north

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-1