The Sun-Earth-Moon System

Earth is a(n) ______, which is a round, three-dimensional object.

• ellipse

• sphere

• cone

• cylinder

Earth rotates on its axis about every ______.

• year

• month

• week

• day

In the northern hemisphere, the ______ occurs on June 21 or 22.

• spring equinox

• fall equinox

• summer solstice

• summer equinox

When all of the Moon’s surface that faces Earth is lit up, there is a ______.

• first quarter moon

• third quarter moon

• full moon

• new moon

______ are dark-colored, relatively flat regions of the Moon’s surface formed when interior lava filled large basins.

• Craters

• Maria

• Volcanoes

• Eclipses

In 1998 NASA launched the ______ to continue photographing the Moon and collecting data.

• Lunar Prospector

• Clementine

• Hubble Space Telescope

• Ranger

A ______ occurs when the Moon moves directly between the Sun and Earth and casts a shadow on Earth.

• lunar eclipse

• waning gibbous

• waxing gibbous

• solar eclipse

The imaginary line around which Earth spins is called its ______.

• axis

• equator

• International Date Line

• prime meridian

The yearly orbit of Earth around the Sun is called its ______.

• rotation

• ellipse

• tilt

• revolution

When meteorites or other objects strike the Moon, they create ______.

• maria

• eclipses

• magnetic fields

• impact basins