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Home , Moon, Sun

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4th Grade: , , and Unit Assessment Study Guide

Vocabulary: : A group of objects that revolve around a single . Sun: The central (and only) star in our system. The Earth and all other revolve around it. Moon: Earth’s only natural . Made up of solid rock and has no . It does NOT have the ability to create . Instead, we see light reflected from the Sun. Earth: The only in our solar system that can support . It has a solid core and a breathable atmosphere. Revolve: When one object moves around another larger object. : The ACTUAL path the object travels on when it revolves. Rotate: To spin around on a fixed point. Axis: An imaginary line going through an object around which it turns. Reflect: To bounce off light. Apparent : The way an object appears, or seems, to move across our . Phases of the Moon: the shape of the Moon that is lit up and can be seen from Earth. : an object that another object naturally.

 Sun: o The central (and only) star in our solar system. The Earth and all other planets revolve around it. o The closest star to Earth (93,000,000 away) o Very large – the Sun’s is 110 larger than Earth’s (meaning that 110 could fit across the of the Sun) o Gaseous: full of hot gas o Solid o Spherical: in the shape of a sphere or o Stays in place (has no orbit) o CANNOT support life o Has the ability to create its own light o Appears to move in a predictable pattern across our sky ( /) o Appears to rise in the and set in the - Actually caused by Earth’s (spinning on its axis)

 Moon: o Appears to rise in the east, and set in the west - Actually caused by Earth’s rotation (spinning on its axis) o Has a predictable pattern across our sky o The closest object to Earth. o Has NO atmosphere o Cannot support life o Does not produce its own light- light is a reflection of the Sun’s rays o Solid sphere o Spherical: in the shape of a sphere or ball o Rotates on its axis . Rotation: a single turn around something on its axis or a fixed point, spinning. . Axis: an imaginary line through the center of an object around which that object turns o Natural satellite of the Earth – orbits around the Earth o Small in comparison to the Earth - ¼ the diameter of Earth (four could fit across the surface of the Earth) o The Moon is the closest object to the Earth Phases of the Moon: the shape of the Moon that is lit up and can be seen from Earth.  : The sun the side of the moon facing away from Earth. The side of the moon that faces Earth is dark.  Waxing : You see a sliver on the right side of the moon.  1st Quarter: You see half of the lighted side of the moon (on the right).  Waxing Gibbous: The moon continues to wax (get bigger). The moon is called Gibbous and is almost completely full (light on the right).  : You see the whole lighted side of the moon.  Waning Gibbous: The fraction of the lighted side of the moon that you see gets smaller each day (light on the left now).  3rd Quarter: You can see half of the moon’s lighted side (on the left).  Waning Crescent: You see a crescent/sliver again (on the left). Waxing = growing

Waning = shrinking

 Earth: o The only planet in our solar system that can support life o Solid sphere o Spherical: in the shape of a sphere or ball o Surface is covered by almost 75% o Breathable atmosphere o Cannot produce its own light – reflects light from the Sun o Orbits the Sun – Natural satellite of the Sun o Rotates (spins) on its own axis

**Study Tip: Try drawing a Venn diagram of the Sun, Moon, and Earth to compare and contrast each of their properties. Use your notes and study guide to help you.

Sun

Moon Earth

Apparent Motion: o Caused by the Earth’s rotation on its axis, as well as its yearly revolution around the Sun. o The Sun and Moon both appear to rise in the east and set in the west daily. o The Sun appears to rise higher in the sky during summer and lower in the sky during months. :  When it is summer in the , it is winter in the .  The steeper the angle of the sun’s rays, the warmer the .  When the strikes the hemisphere at low angles, the Earth is experiencing colder weather.  The Sun appears to rise highest in the sky during summer and lowest in the sky during winter.

Day and Night:  How long does one complete rotation of Earth take? 24  The side of Earth facing the Sun is experiencing day  The side of Earth facing away from the Sun is experiencing night  The turning, or rotation of Earth, moving into and out of the Sun’s light causes Earth’s cycle of day and night.

Sample Questions ** Study Tip: Try answering the following questions –WITHOUT USING YOUR NOTES to see if you are ready for the test. Use the key below to help check your answers. 1. It is 11:45 pm in Michigan, what object is possible for you to see in the sky? a. The Sun b. The Moon c. The Sun & the Moon d. None of the above Rank the following objects in order from smallest to largest. Use the following words: a. Moon b. Sun c. Earth 2. ______3. ______4. ______5. In what direction does the Moon travel around the Earth? a. Counterclockwise b. Clockwise 6. About how long does it take for the Moon to complete one revolution around Earth? a. 24 hours b. 28 days c. 365 ¼ days d. 365 days 7. At what phase can you see the entire illuminated side of the Moon? a. Full Moon b. Third/Last Quarter c. Waning Crescent d. New Moon

8. Based on what you know about moon phases and the picture below, select the phase you predict you would observe next. Current Phase Predicted Next Phase

a. new moon

b. last quarter

c. first quarter

9. The Sun appears to rise in the ______and set in the ______. a. , b. south, north c. west, east d. east, west 10. The Sun appears highest across our sky during which ? a. spring b. summer c. fall d. winter

SAMPLE QUESTIONS KEY: 1.B 2.A 3.C 4.B 5.A 6.B 7.A 8.C 9.D 10.B