Circle the letter to the best answer.
1. Approximately how many days does it take the moon to go through a complete cycle of phases?
A. 7
B. 11
C. 27
D. 29
2. When only a small part of the moon is visible, the moon may be in its
A. first-quarter phase
B. waning-crescent phase
C. new moon phase
D. last-quarter phase
3. When the visible portion of the moon is increasing, the moon is
A. waxing
B. full
C. waning
D. waning-crescent
4. A solar eclipse is most likely to occur when the
A. sun is located between the earth and moon
B. moon is located between the sun and the earth
C. earth is located between the sun and the moon
D. earth and moon are at right angles to each other
5. Earth has seasons because
A. the temperature of the sun changes
B. Earth rotates on its axis
C. Earth's axis is tilted as it moves around the sun
D. the distance between Earth and the sun changes
6. Because the moon rotates once for each revolution around the Earth
A. you see some phases more than others
B. a different side of the moon faces Earth each day
C. you never see the far side of the moon
D. the far side of the moon is visible only during the full moon phase
7. A lunar eclipse is most likely to occur when
A. sun is located between the earth and moon
B. moon is located between the sun and the earth
C. earth is located between the sun and the moon
D. earth and moon are at right angles to each other
8. From new moon to full moon phase you see
A. a decreasing amount of the lighted side of the moon
B. an increasing amount of the lighted side of the moon
C. more of the lighted side, then less of the lighted side of the moon
D. the same amount of the lighted side of the moon
9. During what moon phase can a lunar eclipse occur?
A. waxing gibbous
B. first quarter
C. new moon
D. full moon
10. Tides are caused mainly by
A. Earth's rotation on its axis, causing water to move
B. strong winds blowing water onto coasts
C. differences in how much the sun pulls on the different parts of Earth
D. differences in how much the moon pulls on different parts of the Earth
Circle the best answer.
1. If the Moon is a full Moon tonight, will the Moon be waxing or waning one week later? Which side of the Moon (right or left) will appear illuminated at this time?
Circle one: Waxing or Waning
Circle one: Right or Left
2. Which is longer a sidereal month or a synodic month? Circle one.
3. The United States follows a lunar calendar or a Gregorian calendar?
4. Lunar dust is called Regolith or Maria?
5. The first man to step on the Moon was Neil Armstrong or “Buzz” Aldrin?
Short Answer. Use complete sentences.
1. How is the distance to the Moon accurately measured? Why is this important?
2. In what sense are the lunar maria “seas”?
3. What does it mean to say that the Moon is in a synchronous orbit around Earth?
4. Why is the rate of lunar erosion so much less than on Earth?
5. The lunar surface is undergoing change every few minutes. What causes this change?
6. Why is there not an eclipse every month?
7. Compare how Greek astronomers measured the distance to the Moon and how current technology measures the distance.
8. Compare the Moon’s mass with Earth’s and relate this to gravitational pull of each.
9. Give the date on which Neil Armstrong said “ One small step for man; one giant step for mankind”.
10. What is the “terminator line”?
Match the following terms with the correct definition.
_____1. Maria a. moon phase meaning to shrink
_____2. Crater b. the apparent displacement of a distance object
_____3. First Quarter Moon c. the two periods when the line of nodes briefly lie along the Earth-Sun line
_____4. Waxing d. Earth’s shadow sweeps across the Moon
_____5. Waning e. bowl shaped depression
_____6. Full Moon f. Moon passes directly in front of the Sun
_____7. Waning crescent g. 27.3 days
_____8. Waxing gibbous h. central region of shadow during an eclipse
_____9. Solar eclipse i. moon phase meaning to grow
_____10.Lunar eclipse j. flat dark areas of rock containing mostly iron
_____11.umbra k. rises at noon and sets at midnight
_____12. Penumbra l. rises at sunset and sets at sunrise
_____13. partial lunar eclipse m. a regular cycle of Moon phases
_____14. Perigee n. Sun, Earth, Moon line up imperfectly
_____15. Annular eclipse o. a trigonometry measurement using an imaginary triangle to figure distance
_____16. Parallax p. Sun, Earth, Moon line up but the Moon is too far from Earth so there is no region of totality
_____17. Triangulation q. 10 day old moon phase
_____18. Sidereal month r. the outer shadow; lighter shadow
_____19. Synodic month s. thin sliver of Moon with light on left.
_____20. Eclipse seasons t. Moon closest to Earth in its orbit