Moon and earth Flashcards
What keeps the sun, earth and moon in orbit?
Gravity
How can we see the moon if it doesn’t generate its own light?
It reflects the sun’s light.
How long does it take the moon to orbit the earth?
29,5 days
Name the 8 phases of the moon
- New moon
- waxing crescent
- first quarter
- waxing Gibous
- full moon
- waning Gibous
- last quarter
- waning crescent
Define gravity
The forces all objects exert on all other objects
Define ‘mass’
The amount of matter in an object
Define ‘weight’
The force gravity exerts on an object
What keeps the moon in orbit around the earth?
The earths gravitational force attracting the moon.
What two factors affect the force of gravity?
The mass of each object and how far they are apart from each other.
What causes the ocean tides?
Gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans.
Why does the sun not significantly affect the tides when it is so much bigger than the moon?
The sun is so much further from the earth and thus has a weaker gravitational pull on the ocean.
What causes Spring tides?
When the sun and moon are aligned.
What is the inter-tidal zone?
The area of a shoreline between high and low tide.
