Earth and space vocabulary

Science · Space Systems & Earth's History · ages 8-11

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What do we call Earth's one full trip around the Sun?
- Rotation
- Revolution
- Tilt
What do we call Earth spinning around its axis?
- Rotation
- Revolution
- Eclipse
Rotation causes day and night.
Circle one: True False
After a full Moon, the lit part shrinks a little each night. What is this called?
- Waxing
- Waning
- Rotation
The Moon looks like a thin sliver, then each night it looks more lit up. What is this called?
- Waxing
- Waning
- Eclipse
Which day has the longest daylight of the year in your hemisphere?
- A solstice
- An equinox
- A rotation
Ben says: 'Earth's revolution causes day and night, and its rotation causes the seasons.' What did Ben mix up?
- He is completely correct
- Neither rotation nor revolution causes day and night or seasons
- He has it backwards: rotation causes day and night, revolution (with Earth's tilt) causes seasons
In December, daylight is short in the Northern Hemisphere but long in the Southern Hemisphere. What best explains this?
- Earth's tilted axis makes sunlight hit the two hemispheres differently as Earth revolves
- Earth rotates slower in December
- The Moon blocks sunlight from the Northern Hemisphere in December

Answer key

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

Revolution · Revolution is Earth traveling all the way around the Sun. One revolution takes about 365 days.
Rotation · Rotation is Earth spinning on its axis. One rotation takes about 24 hours.
True · As Earth rotates, the side facing the Sun has daylight and the side facing away has night.
Waning · Waning means the Moon's lit part is getting smaller each night.
Waxing · When the Moon's lit part grows night after night, that is called waxing.
A solstice · A solstice is the day with the longest or shortest daylight of the year.
He has it backwards: rotation causes day and night, revolution (with Earth's tilt) causes seasons · Rotation, Earth spinning on its axis, causes day and night. Revolution, along with Earth's tilt, causes the seasons over the year.
Earth's tilted axis makes sunlight hit the two hemispheres differently as Earth revolves · Earth's axis stays tilted the same way as it revolves, so each hemisphere gets more or less direct sunlight depending on the time of year.