Name: __________________________________________ Class: ____________________

Earth, Moon, and Sun Unit Study Guide

1. _ROTATION_ means to spin in place on an axis.

2. REVOLUTION means to make an orbit around an object in space.

3. As we see less and less of the sunlight on the moon at night, the lunar phase

is _WANING .

4. As we see more and more of the sunlight on the moon at night, the lunar

phase is _WAXING__.

5. Name the four seasons.

SUMMER, AUTUMN, WINTER, SPRING

6. What causes the four seasons we experience?

THE TILT OF EARTH ON ITS AXIS

7. Explain the movement of the Earth and moon.

THE MOON REVOLVES AROUND THE EARTH

8. Explain the movement of the Earth and the Sun.

THE EARTH ROTATES ON ITS AXIS AS IT REVOLVES AROUND THE SUN

9. Scientists believe the sun is about __4.6 BILLION__ years old.

10. About _A MILLION_ Earths could fit inside the Sun.

11. On average, the Sun and Earth are about _93_ million miles apart.

12. In _SUMMER_, the Earth’s axis is pointed towards the Sun.

13. In _WINTER__, the Earth’s axis is pointed away from the Sun.

14. The first day of summer is called the SUMMER SOLSTICE__.

15. The first day of winter is called the WINTER SOLSTICE___.

16. When spring arrives, the axis is not pointed towards the sun or away from

the sun. We call this point the vernal _EQUINOX__.

17. As fall approaches, the Earth’s axis is again not towards or away from the

sun. It is called the __AUTUMNAL__ equinox.

18. Name all eight phases of the moon in order.

NEW MOON, WAXING CRESCENT, 1ST QUARTER, WAXING GIBBOUS,

FULL MOON, WANING GIBBOUS, 3RD QUARTER, WANING CRESCENT

19. People used to believe that the _EARTH__ was the center of our universe

and not the _SUN_, which we now know is true.

20.This theory was called the _GEOCENTRIC___ theory, which meant Earth-

centered.

21. This was the original idea of _ARISTOTLE__, who was a Greek philosopher

who lived from 384 to 322 BC.

22. Then, in 1473, __COPERNICUS___ was born. He believed that the Earth and

other planets moved around the Sun.

23.His new idea that the Sun was the center was called the _HELIOCENTRIC__

theory.

24. How has our thinking about space changed over time?

WE ONCE BELIEVED THE EARTH WAS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE,

BUT THEN WE LEARNED IT IS THE SUN. NOW, WE ALSO KNOW MORE

ABOUT THE MOON, LIKE THE WATER WE FOUND THERE LAST MONTH.

25. Explain why we have lunar phases each month.

WE HAVE PHASES BECAUSE THE MOON IS REVOLVING AROUND THE

EARTH AND WE SEE DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF REFLECTED SUNLIGHT.