People have given names to groups of stars. These groups of stars are called _________________.
Constellations
Which of the following objects is found in Earth's atmosphere? Comet; Meteor; Moon; Planet
Meteor
Where do names of constellations come from?
The ancient Greeks, Latin, and Greek myths
What is a tool used to find things in the night sky?
A star chart
What five planets can be seen from Earth without a telescope?
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn
What cause seasonal changes in what we see in the sky?
Earth's orbit around the sun
What is a constellation?
A pattern or group of stars that people imagined to represent a figure, animal, or object.
What is a star?
A giant ball of hot gas mainly composed of hydrogen and helium
What do the apparent motions of objects in the sky depend on?
Motions of the Earth
What is a meteor?
A shooting star; the streak of light produced when a small object burns up entering Earth's atmosphere
What are some things you can see in the night sky?
The moon, planets, meteors, comets, and stars.
Objects in the sky appear to move from _________ to __________ because the Earth rotates from _______ to ________.
East, West, West, East
What is a comet?
A cold mixture of dust and ice that gives off a long trail of light as it approaches the sun
What is a planet?
An object that orbits the sun, is large enough to have become rounded by its own gravity, and has cleared the area of its orbit.
What is a satellite?
A body that orbits a planet.
What is Earth's only natural satellite?
The moon
How does the night sky change throughout the night?
The objects in the sky appear to move to the west.
What determines whether a planet is visible all night long?
Whether it's closer to the sun or farther from the sun than Earth.
The constellation Orion appears in the eastern sky in December. Where would you expect it appear in March? Why?
It would appear in the western sky because Earth's position in its orbit changed.
True or false: Different cultures have identified the same constellations.
False
What is the brightest object in the night sky for half of the month?
The moon