Earth in Space Flash Cards

Which picture represents a Spring Tide?

• Top picture
• Bottom picture

How does light travel?

• Light travels in straight lines only.
• Light travels like a river, wherever there is an open path.
• Light travels in unpredictable ways.
• It depends; if the light is bright enough it can change direction.

Which word is a synonym of "waxing"?

• cooling
• dwindling
• increasing
• running

The same side of the Moon always faces Earth because __________.

• the motion of the Moon's revolution around Earth and its rotation on its axis take the same amount of time
• the motion of Earth's revolution around the Sun and its rotation on its axis take the same amount of time
• the motion of Earth's revolution around the Sun and the Moon's rotation on its axis take the same amount of time

Which statement is true about the tides when the Sun and Moon are aligned?

• High tides are higher than normal and low tides are lower than normal. This is called a neap tide.
• High tides are higher than normal and low tides are lower than normal. This is called a spring tide.
• High tides are lower than normal and low tides are higher than normal. This is called a spring tide.

The diagrams above show Earth and the Moon in different positions, as seen from above (top view). Sunlight is coming from the left, but these diagrams do not show what parts of Earth or the Moon are light or dark. Could the half of the Moon that faces Earth ever be completely dark in any of these diagrams?

• No, the Moon is always lit by the sun.
• Yes, always in Diagrams 2 and 3, but never in Diagram 1.
• Yes, always in Diagram 2, but never in Diagrams 1 or 3.
• Yes, always in Diagram 2 and sometimes in Diagram 3.

Which statement best describes the waxing and waning phases of the Moon?

• During the waning phases of the Moon, more and more of the Moon’s near side is lit as each night passes.
• During the waning phases of the Moon, more than half of the lit side of the Moon is visible from Earth.
• During the waxing phases of the Moon, the light is on the right side of the Moon.
• During the waxing phases of the Moon, the light is on the left side of the Moon.

Shira looked up one night and saw a full moon. How long will it be before she can see a full moon again?

• About one week.
• About one month.
• There is no way to tell because the Moon’s pattern is always changing.
• It could be two weeks or a month, depending on what time of year it is.

If you can see a full moon at your position on the Earth, what type of moon will you see if you go to exactly the opposite side of the world on the same day (24 hours)?

• A new moon.
• A full moon.
• No moon at all.
• None of these.

Tania went outside and made two observations of the Moon that were several days apart. Her observations are shown in the diagram above. The light part of the Moon appeared to get larger over time. Why did this happen?

• Between the first observation and the second observation, the Moon moved so that Tania was able to see more of the half that faces the sun.
• Between the first observation and the second observation, the Moon moved closer to the sun so more sunlight reached the Moon’s surface.
• Between the first observation and the second observation, the Moon rotated so that more of the light-colored rock on the Moon’s surface faced Earth.
• Between the first observation and the second observation, Earth moved so its shadow was blocking less of the Moon so Tania was able to see more of it.