S,MP,T Quiz 1

Axis of Rotation

An imaginary line about which a turning body such as Earth rotates.

Equator

An imaginary east-west line around the center of Earth that divides the planet into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere; a line set at 0° latitude.

Equinox

In an orbit, a position and time in which sunlight shines equally on the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere; a time of year when daylight and darkness are nearly equal for most of Earth.

North Pole

The northern end of the Earth’s axis of rotation

Rotation

The motion of an object around its own axis

South Pole

The southern end of the Earth’s axis of rotation

Gravity

The force that objects exert on each other because of their mass.

Latitude

The distance in degrees north or south from the equator.

Longitude

The distance in degrees east or west of the prime meridian.

Orbit

The elliptical path of an object in space as it moves around another object due to gravity; for example, the Moon moves in an ____ around Earth.

Prime Meridian

An imaginary north-south line that divides the planet into the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere.

Revolution

The motion of one body around another, such as Earth in its orbit around the Sun; the time it takes an object to go around once.

Seasons

One part of a pattern of temperature changes and other weather trends over the course of a year. Defined and caused by the position of Earth’s axis relative to the direction of sunlight.

Solstice

In an orbit, a position and time during which one hemisphere gets its maximum area of sunlight, while the other hemisphere gets its minimum amount; the time of year when days are either longest or shortest, and the angle of sunlight reaches its maximum or minimum.