Solar System: Chapter 4
Dr. Wise
Solar System Vocabulary
axis
crescent moon
equator
full moon
new moon
phases of the moon
revolve
rotate
season
waning moon
waxing moon
What causes day and night?
rotate and axis
rotate: to turn on an axis
axis: an imaginary line through the center of an object, Earth's axis passes through the North and South Poles
Seasons
revolve: to make a path around an object, the Earth takes one year for it to revolve around the Sun, the orbit is in the shape of an ellipse, an ellipse is a circle that is flattened and stretched out
season: one of the four parts of the year-spring, summer, fall, and winter
equator: is an imaginary line that circles Earth halfway between the North and South Poles. It divides Earth into northern and southern halves, each called hemisphere
Summer: the Earth is tilted toward the Sun so it receives strong, direct sunlight, making it summer time
Winter: December: the Earth is tilted away from the Sun, it receives weak, indirect sunlight making it winter time
Moon Phases
crescent moon: only at thin shape is seen
full moon: all of the Moon's bright side is visible
new moon: none of the Moon's bright side is visible
phases of the moon: the different ways the moon looks throughout the month
quarter moon: half the moon's sunlit side is visible
waning moon: after a full moon, a decreasing amount of the sunlit side of the Moon is seen
waxing moon: after the new moon, an increasing amount of the sunlit side of the Moon is seen