1. Which of the following causes the appearance of the moon to change in the sky each night?

• The rotation of Earth on its axis.
• Earth’s orbit around the sun.
• The orbit of the moon around Earth.
• Earth’s tilt on its axis

2. How often would the moon, as viewed from Earth, look like it does in the picture?

• Once a month
• Every 24 hours
• It depends on which hemisphere it’s being viewed from.
• Once a year

3. Which of the following best explains why only one side of Earth and the moon are illuminated by the sun at any given time?

• Earth is constantly orbiting around the sun.
• The Earth is constantly turning on its axis.
• The moon blocks the light from reaching other parts of Earth.
• Solar energy only moves in a straight line.

4. The moon, like Earth, is on an axis. It spins on its axis at the same rate that it orbits around Earth. This causes which of the following phenomena?

• The same side of the moon is always facing Earth.
• This causes solar and lunar eclipses.
• The moon looks different depending on the season.
• The moon can only be seen at night.

5. A classmate says that the moon in diagram A would not be visible from Earth, since it would be completely dark from our viewpoint. Is his statement correct?

• It would depend where on Earth you were standing when viewing the sky.
• No, the moon in diagram A would be a full moon.
• No, the moon in diagram A would be visible because the edges would be illuminated.
• Yes, the moon in diagram A would be a “new moon” and not visible in the night sky.

6. Use arrows to show the parts of the moon where the sun is reflecting off of the moon’s surface.

7. Explain why you drew the arrows where you drew them.

8. Explain why you drew the circle where you did.

9. Which of the diagram models of the sun-moon-Earth system correctly depicts the position of the moon as it appears in the photograph?

• A
• B
• D
• C

10. Draw a model that helps to explain why the sun appears larger and brighter in our sky than other stars.

11. Draw a circle around the part of the moon where the sun is not reflecting.

12. Describe the differences in the amounts of time it takes the moon to orbit Earth, Earth to spin on its axis, and the moon and Earth to orbit the sun.

13. To help one of your classmates understand the phases of the moon, explain in words why you can only see light on part of the moon in this picture.

14. In science class, you are looking at the diagrams of the sun-moon-Earth system. Your classmate points to diagram C and states that if the moon was in such a position relative to Earth, that you would not be able to see it at all because Earth would be blocking all of the sun’s light from reaching the moon. How would you respond to your classmate’s claim?

15. Refer to figure A. Draw a model that shows the interaction between the Sun, Earth, and Moon when we witness a solar eclipse (which occurs during the day). Be sure to label your diagram and to represent the Sun’s light.