Answers to Assignment #5
1. The inner Terrestrial (rocky) planets are composed of ____ solid rock____and have ____ high ______ average
density.
2. The outer Jovian (gaseous) planets are composed of ___ gas_______ and have ____ low _____ average density.
3. Stars like the Sun appear to move at __ 15° ____ per hour because the earth ____ rotates _____ 15 degrees per
hour.
4. The only star that does not appear to move is _____ Polaris _______ because it is located directly above the
Earth’s _ axis ______of____ rotation _______.
5. The earth _____ rotates _______ from west to east (24 hours) at a rate of _ 15° __ degrees per hour.“Right Hand
Rule”
6. The earth ______ revolves ______ around the sun (365 1/4) days.)
7. All celestial objects appear to move from ___ east _____ to ___ west __.
8. The moon has phases because it ____ revolves___ around the __earth ___.
9. Eclipses only occur at the ____ new ______ and full moon phases.
10. A lunar eclipse is when the ____ full moon _____ is blocked out.
11. A solar eclipse is when the ____ sunlight______ is blocked out.
12. Earth’s seasons are caused by 1. ____ Earth’s revolution around sun____
2.______ Tilt ___ of the Earth’s Axis
3._______ Parallelism ____________ of the Earth’s Axis
56. Evidence of Earth’s revolution around the Sun is the changing ____ seasons___ and _____ constellations
_______ throughout the year,
57. Summer solstice is on ____ June 21______.
 The ___ northern ________ hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun.
 The direct (perpendicular) rays of the sun hit the Tropic of ___ Cancer______.
 Sun rise is __ north _____ of east, and sunset is ___ north _____ of the west.
58. Winter solstice is on __ December 21 ______.
 The _ southern ______ hemisphere is tilted towards the sun.
 The direct (perpendicular) rays of the sun hit the Tropic of ___Capricorn___.
 Sun rise is ___ south ____ of east, and sunset is ___ south _____ of west.
59. Equinoxes are ___ March 21 _____ and __ September 23 ______.
 The direct (perpendicular) rays hit the ______ equator_________.
 The sun rise_____ due east ____ and sets ___ due west_ on the equinoxes.
60. Duration of insulation = ___ 12 _____hours on the equinox.
61. The three important locations that receive the direct/perpendicular rays of the sun are:
_____ Tropic of Cancer 23.5 N________,____ Equator 0° __,______ Tropic of Capricorn 23.5 S°
____
62. Greatest angle of insolation/perpendicular/vertical rays of the Sun (overhead sun) can only occur
between __ 23.5° _____°N & ___ 23.5° ____°S.
63. The maximum duration of insolation is __ 24 ____ hrs.
64. The greatest duration of insolation can only occur at __ 90 ___°N or ___ 90 __°S
65. The largest angle of insolation is __ 90 ____ degrees.
66. As the sun’s angle of insolation increases, the sun’s intensity ____ increases ______.
67. The equator always has __ 12 ____ hours of daylight.
68. The higher the altitude of the sun, the ______ shorter________ the shadow.
69. Shadows are the longest at ___sunrise/sunset _____ (time of day). And the shortest at ___ noon _______.
70. Noon shadows are the shortest in NY on ____ June 21 ____(date). Longest on __ December 21 _____(date)
71. In NY, an observer must always look ___ south_____ to see the sun at noon.
72. The sun is ____ never _____ at an observer’s zenith (90 degrees) in NY.
73. Winds, ocean currents and anything else moving across Earth are deflected (curve) because of the ___ Coriolis
Effect.
74. Foucault’s pendulum and Coriolis effect is evidence that the Earth ____Rotates.
75. Changing Seasons and Constellations is evidence that the Earth _____Revolves.
76. The Earth is closer to the sun during the ____ winter ______ season.
Perihelion – earth is ___ closest _______to the sun.
Aphelion – earth is ____ farthest away ______ to the sun.
The closer a planet is to the sun, the ______ faster____ its velocity as its orbits.
The closer a planet is to the sun, the ______ stronger _______ the gravitational attraction.
Gravity is greatest when the mass of objects are _____ large ____ and the distance between them is
____close______.
82. Tides are caused by the _____ moon’s _____ gravitational attraction.
83. There are ____ 2 ____ high tides, and ___ 2 ______ low tides per day (12.5 hours apart)- a cyclic pattern.
84. Our solar system is located ¾ the way down one of the spiral arms of our galaxy- the ____ Milky Way ____.
85. A _____ galaxy ______ is a cluster of 100-200 billion stars.
86. The following is in _____ decreasing _____ size and age order: Universe, Galaxy, Solar system, Earth.
87. _____ Geocentric _______ model is earth centered. Everything revolves around the earth.
88. ______ Heliocentric ______________ model is sun centered. Planets revolve around the sun.
89. All planets orbit in ______ elliptical__________ (shaped) orbits with the _____ sun ______ at one foci.
90. The farther from the Sun the _____ slower_______ the orbital path.
91. As the distance between foci increases, the eccentricity ______ increases (closer to 1)_____.
92. The more ___ circular _____ the orbit the less eccentric/elliptical it is.
93. The closer the eccentricity is to 0 the more ____ circular _______, the closer it is to 1 the more ___
eccentric________ the orbit is.
94. The earth’s orbit is extremely round, almost perfect, but it is slightly elliptical, see ESRT pg 15
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