The Earth and Moon

Review

What is an Equinox? What is a Solstice?

When do they occur?

What causes the seasons?

Spring Equinox – March 21Summer Solstice – June 21Autumn Equinox – September 22Winter Solstice – December 22

Review• Which day of the year is the longest in the

Northern Hemisphere?

• Which day of the year is the longest in the Southern Hemisphere?

June 21st

December 22nd

Relation to Culture…

Midnight Baseball

Fairbanks, Alaska

The Moon

What is the Moon?• Earth’s only satellite. • That means it orbits around the earth.

What are its features?• The moon is covered by craters.• These craters have been caused by meteorites.

How close is the Moon?

How does the Moon move?

Rotation

Revolution

It revolves on its own axis every 28 days

It orbits the earth every 28 days

From Earth we can only see one side!

Phases of the Moon

Waxing - Waning - Getting bigger Getting smaller

What causes the Phases?

The position of the…

SunMoon

Earth

The Tides

Low Tide High Tide

What are the Tides?

What causes them?

• The periodic change in the level of the sea (and other bodies of water)

• The moon and the sun (gravity)

• Or more specifically the positioning of the moon relative to the earth

The water level rises on the part of the Earth nearest to the Moon and on the opposite side.

This happens as the Earth rotates which means that day, every place on earth experiences:

Two High Tides

Two Low Tides

Eclipses

One celestial body temporarily hides another

Can be partial or full

Solar Eclipse

• The Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth casting its shadow onto the Earth

Lunar Eclipse

• The Earth is between the Sun and the Moon casting its shadow on the Moon

There was just a Total Lunar

Eclipse visible from the USA!!!