| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| The planets outside the asteroid belt are the __________ ______________. | outer planets |
| The earth's path around the sun is its ___________. | orbit |
| The __________ is an imaginary line that runs through both poles of the earth. | axis |
| A _______ is a small planet-like body that orbits a planet. | moon |
| A _______ is a huge ball of super heated gas. | star |
| The star at the center of our solar system is the ______. | sun |
| A ___________ is a large object that orbits a star. | planet |
| The different shapes of the moon are called the____________. | phases |
| A large system of stars, gas, and dust is called a ____________. | galaxy |
| Everything that exists in space is the _____________. | universe |
| How long does it take earth to rotate on its axis once? | 24 hours – 1 day |
| What is the source of all energy in the solar system? | sun |
| About how long is a full cycle of the moon? | about 28 days (29 1/2 days) or 4 weeks |
| What is the phase of the moon where the whole moon is dark from the earth? | new moon |
| About how long is a half cycle of the moon? | about 14 days or 2 weeks |
| Planets between the sun and the asteroid belt are the ___________ _____________. | inner planets |
| How long does it take the earth to revolve around the sun once? | 365 days or 1 year |
| What is the phase of the moon where the whole moon is visible from earth? | full moon |
| Why is Mars called the red planet? | It looks fiery red from earth. |
| What 2 gases make up most of the sun? | hydrogen and helium |
| Name the 2 reasons the seasons change. | earth's tilt and its orbit around the sun |
| Name the 4 inner planets. | Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars |
| Name the 4 outer planets. | Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune |
| What planet is a dwarf planet? | Pluto |
| What color of star is the coolest? | Red |
| What color of star is the hottest? | Blue |
| What color of star is a medium temperature? | Yellow |
| What causes parts of the U.S. to be warmer than other areas in the summer? | The warmer areas are closer to the equator. |
| Can people in the northern hemisphere see the same constellations as people in the southern hemisphere? Why or why not? | No. They are facing different parts of space. |
| Why does the calendar have 366 days every 4 years instead of the normal 365 days? | Each year is really 365 1/4 days long, so we add en extra day every 4 years to make up for the extra hours. |
| What do we call the year that has the extra day? | Leap year |
| Why do the positions of the constellations seem to change in the night sky? | Earth is orbiting the sun so we see different parts of the night sky at different times of the year. |
