Junior Cycle Science Quiz: The Sun, Moon & Earth System
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​1. The Sun, Moon, and Earth System
The Sun: The Sun is a star at the centre of our solar system, providing energy and light essential for life on Earth.
The Moon: Earth’s natural satellite, reflecting sunlight, which causes the Moon’s phases.
Earth: A planet that orbits the Sun and rotates on its axis.

2. Day and Night
  • Caused by Earth’s Rotation:
    • Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours.
    • As Earth rotates, different parts face the Sun, resulting in day, while other parts face away, resulting in night.
  • Direction:
    • Earth rotates from west to east, which makes the Sun appear to rise in the east and set in the west.

3. Seasons
  • Caused by Earth’s Tilt:
    • Earth is tilted on its axis at an angle of 23.5°.
    • As Earth orbits the Sun, this tilt causes different parts of the planet to receive varying amounts of sunlight, resulting in seasons.
  • Key Points:
    • Summer: Occurs when a hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, receiving more direct sunlight.
    • Winter: Occurs when a hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, receiving less direct sunlight.
    • Spring and Autumn: Transitional seasons when neither hemisphere is significantly tilted toward or away from the Sun.

​Seasons if you were in North America:
4. Phases of the Moon
  • Caused by the Moon’s Orbit:
    • The Moon orbits Earth every 27.3 days.
    • As it orbits, the Sun illuminates different portions of the Moon visible from Earth.
  • Phases:
    1. New Moon: The Moon is between the Sun and Earth, and the side facing Earth is not illuminated.
    2. Waxing Crescent: A small, crescent-shaped portion is illuminated.
    3. First Quarter: Half of the Moon is illuminated.
    4. Waxing Gibbous: More than half of the Moon is illuminated.
    5. Full Moon: The entire side of the Moon facing Earth is illuminated.
    6. Waning Gibbous: The illuminated portion begins to decrease.
    7. Last Quarter: Half of the Moon is illuminated again.
    8. Waning Crescent: A small crescent-shaped portion is illuminated before returning to the New Moon.
5. Eclipses
  • Solar Eclipse:
    • Occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth.
    • Can only happen during a New Moon.
  • Lunar Eclipse:
    • Occurs when Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon.
    • Can only happen during a Full Moon.

6. Tides
  • Caused by Gravitational Pull:
    • The gravitational pull of the Moon (and to a lesser extent, the Sun) causes the water on Earth to bulge, creating high and low tides.
    • Spring Tides: Occur during Full and New Moons when the Sun, Moon, and Earth align, causing stronger tides.
    • Neap Tides: Occur during the First and Last Quarters when the Sun and Moon are at right angles, causing weaker tides.

Summary
  • The Sun, Moon, and Earth interact to create day and night, seasons, and the phases of the Moon.
  • Earth’s rotation causes day and night, while its tilt and orbit around the Sun result in seasons.
  • The Moon’s orbit creates its phases and contributes to tides.
  • Understanding these relationships helps explain phenomena like eclipses, tides, and the changing night sky.
DIY Phases of the Moon project slideshow!
​Our Moon doesn't shine, it reflects the sunlight shining on it. There are 8 phases (lunar phases) which repeat every 29.5 days. New Moon, Waxing Crescent, 1st Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, 3rd Quarter & Waning Crescent.
Six TYPES of celestial objects in the Solar system are:
1) Star ( Self luminous )
2) Planets & Dwarf Planet (Orbits the Sun, rocky or gaseous, atmosphere or no atmosphere, has moons or none)
3) Moon ( Orbits planets, rocky, atmosphere or no atmosphere )
4) Comet ( Orbits Sun, rocky/icy, atmosphere only when close to Sun, relatively short life span )
5) Asteroid ( Orbits Sun, rocky, small, no atmosphere )
6) Miscellaneous ( Space dust, man-made objects e.g. satellites, space probes )

Moons

Asteroids

Comets

Planets

Stars

Solar System

Galaxies

Space