Seasons Quiz Study Guide

The farther from the _______ the larger the range of daylight hours occur.

EQUATOR

Solstices happen during the seasons of

SUMMER and WINTER.

What season and month does the northern hemisphere get more sunlight in? Least amount of sunlight?

SUMMER/DECEMBER WINTER/JUNE

What season and month does the northern hemisphere get more sunlight in? Least amount of sunlight?

SUMMER/JUNE WINTER/DECEMBER

Summer Solstice

The longest day of the year when the sun is closest to a hemisphere

Revolution

The motion of a body that travels around another body in space

Orbit

The path of the Earth as it revolves around the sun

Winter Solstice

The shortest day of the year when the sun is furthest from a hemisphere

Rotation

The spinning of a body, like Earth, on its axis

What is the correct order of the seasons?

Winter, spring, summer, fall

Why is your shadow longer in the winter than in the summer?

Your shadow is longer in the winter than in the summer because light is hitting more indirectly during the winter. When light hits the Earth indirectly, it is at a less of an angle, which means that it hits more of the side of your body, thus blocking more light. When light is more direct or overhead, it hits less of the side of your body, thus blocking less light and creating a shorter shadow.

Tropic of Cancer

a latitude line of 23.5 North of the equator

Tropic of Capricorn

a latitude line of 23.5 South of the equator

Axis

line passing through Earth's center and poles

Season

periods in a year marked by specific weather conditions, temperatures and length of day

Solstice

sunlight reaches more of one hemisphere than the other. During a solstice one hemisphere is receiving it's maximum amount of sunlight and longest day while the other is experiencing is lowest amount of sunlight and shortest days.

Year

the time required for the Earth to revolve once around the sun

In the Arctic Circle in the winter, how many hours daylight hours are there?

0 hours

Two reasons for the seasons are

1) TILT OF THE EARTH 2) REVOLUTION OF THE EARTH AROUND THE SUN

Equinox

(September 21st/Autumnal and March 21st/Vernal), sunlight shines equally on the Northern and Southern hemispheres. During this time, the sun is positioned directly over the equator.

The sun is ________ (higher/lower) in the sky in the winter than in the summer.

LOWER

If it is fall in the Northern hemisphere, it is what season in the Southern hemisphere?

SPRING

Equinoxes happen during the seasons of

SPRING and FALL.

If it is summer in the Northern hemisphere, it is what season in the Southern hemisphere?

WINTER

What is the tilt of the Earth's axis?

23.5 (in degrees)

How does latitude affect the length of day?

As the latitude increases, the length of day changes more drastically. For example at the equator the length of day is roughly 12 hours all year. At the poles, it can either be 0 hours of light or 24. The change is day length is more drastic as the latitude increases.

What is the length of one full rotation of the earth on its axis?

24 HOURS OR ONE DAY

In the Antarctic Circle in the December, how many hours of daylight hours are there?

24 daylight hours

What is the length of one full revolution of earth around the sun?

365.25 days OR ONE YEAR

Know the position of the earth and sun for the solstices(winter,summer) and the equinoxes(spring,fall).

A = NH = vernal equinox, SH = autumnal equinox B = NH = summer solstice, SH = winter solstice C = NH = autumnal equinox, SH = vernal equinox D = NH = winter solstice, SH = summer solstice

Autumnal equinox

A time of the year after summer when the sun shines equally on the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.

Vernal Equinox

A time of the year after winter when the sun shines equally on the Northern and Southern Hemisphere

What direction does the earth revolve in?

COUNTER-CLOCKWISE

What direction does the earth rotates in?

COUNTER-CLOCKWISE

During a summer solstice, we receive __________ hours of light. The summer solstice happens in _______ for the Northern hemisphere and __________ for the Southern hemisphere.

During a summer solstice, we receive MORE THAN 12 hours of light. The summer solstice happens in JUNE for the Northern hemisphere and DECEMBER for the Southern hemisphere.

During a winter solstice, we receive _________ hours of light. The winter solstice happens in ___________ for the Northern hemisphere and ________ for the Southern hemisphere.

During a winter solstice, we receive LESS THAN 12 hours of light. The winter solstice happens in DECEMBER for the Northern hemisphere and JUNE for the Southern hemisphere.

During an equinox, we receive _________ amounts of day and night, which is _____ hours. The fall equinox is in ________ for the Northern hemisphere and _____ for the southern hemisphere. The spring equinox is in ________ for the Northern hemisphere and ____________ for the southern hemisphere.

During an equinox, we receive EQUAL amounts of day and night, which is 12 hours. The fall equinox is in SEPTEMBER for the Northern hemisphere and MARCH for the southern hemisphere. The spring equinox is in MARCH for the Northern hemisphere and SEPTEMBER for the southern hemisphere.

The length of a year is determined by Earth's rotation around the sun. (True or False)

FALSE (SHOULD BE REVOLUTION NOT ROTATION)

An equinox is when the day hours are longer than the night hours. (True or False)

FALSE. A summer solstice is when the day hours are longer than the night hours. During an equinox the day hours are EQUAL to the night hours.

The June Solstice occurs in the spring. (True or False)

FALSE. The June Solstice begins summer for the Northern hemisphere and is the start of winter in the Southern hemisphere.

The length of day is determined by Earth's rotation (True or False)

FALSE. The length of the day is determined by the latitude and the time of year. The cause of days and nights is the rotation.

Equator

It is a line that runs through the center of the Earth separating the Northern and Southern Hemisphere and it located at 0 degrees latitude

Be able to identify which line of latitude (Tropic of Cancer or Tropic of Capricorn) the sun is directly on for each season.

March/Spring for NH: Equator June/Summer for NH: Tropic of Cancer September/Fall for NH: Equator December/Winter for NH: Tropic of Capricorn

Compare and contrast solstices and equinoxes.

Similar Happen one day a year First day of a season Different Solstices - sun highest/lowest in sky, Equinoxes - sun in middle in the sky Solstices - temperature extremes, Equinoxes - Medium temperatures Solstices - summer/winter, Equinoxes - spring, fall

Describe the day length and temperature for each season and why this occurs.

Summer: longer than 12 hours, warm - Earth is tilted toward the sun and receives more direct light Winter: shorter than 12 hours, cold - Earth is tilted away the sun and receives less direct light Spring: 12 hours, getting warmer over the course of the season, Earth is not tilted toward or away from the sun but is gradually becoming tilted toward

Earth's tilt affects temperatures and daylight hours at different locations on Earth. (True or False)

TRUE

Explain how the tilt of the Earth's axis and Earth's movements around the sun cause the seasons?

The Earth is always tilted toward the North Star. Because of this, as we revolve the sun different hemispheres are tilted toward or away the sun at different times. On June 21st, the NH is tilted toward the sun causing summer in the NH and since the SH is tilted away then the SH is experiencing winter. This is reversed on December 21st.

Day

The time it takes a planet to complete one full rotation on its axis

Latitude

distance north or south of the equator (an imaginary circle around the Earth halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole)