THE MOONINVESTIGATION 2 REVIEWHint: Pay special attention to the underlined parts!

PART 1NIGHT SKY OBSERVATIONS: VOCABULARY

Moon: Earth’s natural satellite

Cycle: is a repeating pattern

Star: a point of light in the night sky

PART 1 NIGHT SKY OBSERVATIONS: BIG IDEAS

Objects in the night sky include the Moon, stars, and other planets

Earth is one of the several planets that orbit the Sun in the solar system

The Moon orbits Earth

The Moon can appear in the sky during

both night and day (unless, of course, it’s a New Moon!)

PART 1 NIGHT SKY OBSERVATIONS: BIG QUESTIONS

What natural objects can you see in the night sky? [Moon, stars, clouds, rain, fog. ]

Are they the same or different from those you see in the day sky? [Some are the same and some are different]

Do the stars and Moon change position or stay in the same place every night? [They change position]

PART 2MOON PHASES: VOCABULARY

Moon phase: The shape of the bright part of the Moon

New Moon: Occurs when the Moon is positioned between the Earth and the Sun

First-quarter moon: Occurs when the Moon is halfway between new-Moon position and full-Moon

position. The right half of the Moon’s face is lit

Third-quarter moon: Occurs when the Moon is halfway between full-Moon position and new-Moon position. The left half of the Moon’s face is lit.

Full moon: Occurs when Earth is positioned between the Sun and the Moon

PART 2MOON PHASES: VOCABULARY

Crescent moon: any phase of the moon that has less than half of its face illuminated

Gibbous moon: any phase of the Moon that has more than half of its face illuminated

Waxing moon: When the face of the moon is looks larger each day

Waning moon: When the face of the moon is looks smaller each day

PART 2 MOON PHASES : BIG IDEAS

The Moon changes its appearance, or phase, in a regular pattern over 4 weeks.

Moon phase is the part of the Moon that is visible from Earth

PART 2 MOON PHASES : BIG QUESTIONS

How does the shape of the Moon change over 4 weeks? In a predictable pattern over and over! It takes 4 weeks for the Moon to go through all the

phases. We can call that a lunar cycle]

PART 2 MOON PHASES : BIG QUESTIONS

Why does the shape of the moon appear to change each night?

Because the Moon revolves around the Earth!

Why does the Moon appear to move across the sky each night?

Because the Earth rotates on its axis!