Science 600 Unit 8: Spaceship Earth

Why is Earth called a "spaceship" ?

Because it travels through space

During a lunar eclipse, why does the moon appear to be darkened?

Because the earth is casting a shadow on it.

Why can only a small area of planet earth will see a solar eclipse?

Because the moon is so small in size in relation to the earth.

How many time zones are there in the continental United States?

Four

Some asteroids lie in the asteroid belt between what two planets?

Mars and Jupiter.

Order of the Planets My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Is the Earth a perfect sphere?

No, it is not

Fact

Something proven to be true

nuclear fusion

The process through which hydrogen is converted to helium, in the sun.

When does an annular solar eclipse occur?

When the moon is at its farthest point from the earth during a total eclipse.

How fast does "Spaceship Earth" travel?

about 101,000 miles per hour

When did the ancient Jews began their day?

at sunset

comets

bright objects with a nucleus, coma, and tail

The sun

contains 99% of the mass of the solar system.

orbit

curving path that a moving body takes around another body in space

umbra

dark center of a shadow

meteorites

fall to earth

penumbra

lighter outer region of a shadow

eclipse

partial obscuring or darkening of one body by another.

Solar flares

produce x-rays, radio waves, and clouds of atomic particles

ellipse

shape of earth's orbital path around sun

meteors

shooting stars

What are the primary forms of solar activity?

sunspots and solar flares

Longitude

the distance measured in degrees from the Prime Meridian.

What happens once every 25 days and 9 hours?

the sun rotates on it axis

asteroids

thousands of "small planets" orbiting the sun

The earth is tilted on its axis at what angle?

23 1/2 degrees

one orbit of earth around sun

595 million miles

diameter of earth at Poles

7,900 miles