EARTH SCIENCE SPACE
Between what degrees can the tilt vary?
22.1°-24.5°
What is this position in Earth's orbit called?
???
What is an ellipse?
An ellipse is an oval centered on two points instead of a single point
What causes Earth's circumference to be slightly larger around the equator than it is around the poles?
Centrifugal force (the apparent force that draws a rotating body away from the center of rotation)
At which month in the N. Hemisphere is Earth closest to the sun?
December
At which month in the N. Hemisphere is Earth farthest from the sun?
July
What is the orbital period of a planet?
One orbital period is one trip around the sun
What is the name of our current north star?
Polaris
What season is this?
Summer
When Earth's axis tilts toward Vega, during what months of year will Earth experience summer in the Northern Hemisphere?
Summers December January and February
How is Earth's motion related to the origin of the galaxy and its solar system?
The Earth is a part of the galaxy and its solar system and as Earth was created with the big bang, it happened inside of them.
How does this law explain why the Sun wobbles back and forth and is NOT stationary as the planets orbit it?
The sun orbits the barycenter but it is so close to the center it wobbles
What causes the seasons?
The tilt of the earth and the rotation
What are tides?
Tides are the periodic rise and fall of sea level
What will be our north star in 12,000 years?
Vega
What is actually happening when the Sun rises at a particular location on Earth?
We see the sun rise because we are spinning towards it and it is coming into our view
What is the ecliptic?
When it's tilted toward the sun during earths orbit summer in northern and southern
What season is this?
Winter
When Earth's axis tilts toward Vega, during what months of year will Earth experience winter in the Northern Hemisphere?
Winter June July August
Based on this theory, do scientists believe that our universe is expanding or getting smaller?
expanding
What forces cause the tides?
gravitational pull of the moon and sun
What force causes Earth's mass to move outward from its center at the equator as Earth rotates on its axis?
gravitational pulls from the moon
What caused our solar system to orbit the center of the Milky Way?
it developed in the plane of the disk around the nuclear bulge(the center)
Based on this theory, what caused the Earth to orbit the Sun?
it is outside of the the center of the spinning nebula
How will that change our summer?
it will be a different time of year and different temperatures than usual
How will that change our winter?
it will be a different time of year and different temperatures than usual
What is the law of universal gravitation?
states that every pair of bodies in the universe attracts each other with a force
What is barycenter?
the center of mass between a planet and the sun
Why are the seasons opposite in the northern & southern hemispheres?
the different ways that the earth is tilted toward/away from the sun
Where is the slight bulging of Earth's circumference?
the equator
Which circumference is bigger? the equator or the poles? by how much?
the equator 42 difference
Where is the slight squishing of Earth's circumference?
the poles
What motion causes Earth to take the shape of an oblate spheroid instead of that of a true sphere?
the rotation
What force causes precession?
Force is the gravitational pull of the moon
What theory describes how the UNIVERSE began? What does this theory say?
The big bang theory is the theory that the universe began as a point and has been expanding ever since.
What word do we common folks use for orbital period?
a year
What motion causes the tides to change?
earths rotation
What would happen to the temperature between summer and winter if the tilt decreased to 22.1?
less of a temperature change
What would happen to the temperature between summer and winter if the tilt increased to 24.5?
more of a temperature change
What do astronomers think our SOLAR SYSTEM began as?
nebula
What is actually happening when the Sun sets at a particular location on Earth?
we are spinning away from it and we can no longer see it, from where we are
What causes winter in the northern and southern hemispheres?
when the earth is tilted closest to sun
What causes summer in the northern and southern hemispheres?
when the earth is tilted farthest away from sun
What is KEPLER'S SECOND LAW? (The Law of Areas)?
An imaginary line joining a planet and the sun sweeps out an equal area of space in equal amounts of time
What is Earth's axis?
Earth's axis is the imaginary line that goes through the n and s poles
What is Earth's position within the hierarchy of the universe?
Earths position is the third position from the sun, which is a part of the milky way galaxy, which is a part of the universe.
What is the tilt of Earth's axis relative to the ecliptic?
23.5 degrees
What is the present tilt of Earth's axis?
23.5° degrees
How long is the day/night cycle?
24 hours
How long does it take Earth's rotational axis to go through one cycle of precession?
26,000 years
What causes the tides?
The gravitational attraction of the moon sun and earth
What is nutation?
a change in the earth's angle of tilt of earths axis
What do astronomers think the MILKY WAY GALAXY began as?
a rotating spiral cloud
What is KEPLER'S FIRST LAW? (The Law of Orbits)?
all planets move in a elliptical orbits with the sun at its focus
What does a planet (such as Earth) actually orbit?
barycenter
What does the Sun orbit?
barycenter
What motion determines the day and night cycle?
caused by the rotation of Earth on its axis spinning towards and away from the sun
What causes the day and night cycle?
the turning of earth on its axis
What is precession?
the wobble in Earth's rotational axis