Study Guide for Solar System Assessment Assessment is Tuesday, October 27th

Study Guide for the Solar System Assessment

Assessment will be Tuesday, October 27th

One the test, there will be:

• matching
• fill in the blank without a word bank
• multiple choice
• true and false
• answering questions with multiple sentence answers
• labeling the phases of the moon

** You need to know the following definitions that go along with each word**

axis - an imaginary line that passes from the North Pole to the South 

           Pole through Earth’s center.

constellations - a group of stars that ancient people thought formed a picture

                            in the sky.

eclipse - one object in space casting its shadow on another object in space.

equator - an imaginary line that circles Earth halfway between the North and

                  South Poles.

gravity - the force that pulls objects toward each other.

moon - a natural object in space that orbits a planet.

orbit - the path that one object in space takes around another object in space.

planet - a large object in space that orbits the Sun.

rotation - the spinning of a planet or moon on its axis.

stars - an object in space that produces its own heat and light.

sun - the closest star to the Earth.

tides - changes in water level at the shoreline that are caused by the pull of

            gravity between Earth and its moon.

You need to know:

v     The planets in order  - beginning with the planet closest to the sun:  Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

v     The asteroid belt is what divides the inner planets from the outer planets.

v     The phases of the moon – see your attached sheet.

v     It takes the Earth 365 days to make one revolution around the sun.

v     It takes the Earth 24 hours to rotate once on its axis making day and night.

v     It takes the moon approximately 28 days to orbit the Earth.

v     The seasons in the Northern Hemisphere are opposite those of the Southern Hemisphere – thus if it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

v     The Earth has seasons due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis, which is tilted at 23.5 degrees.

v     The longest day of the year is the 1^st day of the summer, which is the summer solstice.  The sun is highest in the sky during this season.

v     The shortest day of the year is the 1^st day of the winter, which is the winter solstice.  The sun is lowest in the sky during this season.

v     The vernal equinox (spring) and the fall equinox are 2 days in the year where there are equal hours of sunlight and darkness. 

v     The moon does not make its own light – it gets it from the sun.

v     We only see one side of the moon because it is revolving around the Earth at the same rate the Earth is revolving.

v     Stars are made up of dust and gas and live for millions and millions of years.

v     Stars come in all different sizes and colors.

v     You do not see constellations in the same place year round due to the Earth revolving around the sun.

v     We have leap year every 4 years because the Earth actually takes 365 ¼ days to revolve around the sun.

v     There are 4 tides a day, 2 high tides and 2 low tides.

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