The Moon's Orbit · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

The Moon's Orbit

Science · Space Exploration · ages 7-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Where does the Moon's light come from?

    • The Moon makes its own light
    • The Moon reflects sunlight from the Sun
    • The Moon reflects light from Earth

  2. About how long does it take the Moon to orbit Earth one time?

    • About one month
    • About one day
    • About one year

  3. The Moon is always a full round ball, even when it looks like a thin sliver in the sky.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. The Moon takes about 30 days to orbit Earth. If it has already traveled for 20 days, how many days are left to finish the trip?

    Answer: ______________

  5. Why do we see the Moon looking like a different shape through the month?

    • Because the Moon changes size
    • Because clouds cover different parts each night
    • Because we see different amounts of its sunlit side as it orbits Earth

  6. Mia shines a flashlight on a ball in a dark room. The ball looks bright only on the side facing the flashlight. Which real object works the same way?

    • The Moon
    • The Sun
    • A star

  7. Two weeks after a full moon, the Moon looks almost fully dark. What is the best reason for this change?

    • The Moon moved farther from the Sun so it lost its light
    • The Moon spun around and hid its bright side on purpose
    • The Moon kept orbiting Earth, so a different, smaller part of its sunlit side now faces us

  8. Leo says the Moon must have its own light because it looks so bright at night. What is wrong with his idea?

    • Nothing, he is right
    • The Moon is actually reflecting sunlight, not making its own light
    • The Moon only shines during the day
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

The Moon's Orbit W1-mt_15FduGRf5c-s1

  1. The Moon reflects sunlight from the Sun · The Moon has no light of its own. Sunlight bounces off it and reaches our eyes.
  2. About one month · The Moon takes about 28 to 30 days, close to one month, to circle Earth once.
  3. True · The whole Moon is always there. We just see different amounts of its sunlit side.
  4. 10 · 30 total days minus the 20 already passed leaves 10 days to go.
  5. Because we see different amounts of its sunlit side as it orbits Earth · As the Moon moves around Earth, sunlight lights up different parts of the side facing us.
  6. The Moon · Like the ball, the Moon only looks bright on the side facing the Sun. It reflects that light to us.
  7. The Moon kept orbiting Earth, so a different, smaller part of its sunlit side now faces us · As the Moon keeps moving along its orbit, the part of its lit side we can see keeps changing.
  8. The Moon is actually reflecting sunlight, not making its own light · Bright does not mean self-made light. The Moon looks bright because it reflects a lot of sunlight toward Earth.
Worksheet · LightMySky