universe & solar system section 4 Practice Questions Answers Test with Solutions & More Shortcuts

Answer: (c)

Answer: (d)

As Earth revolves around the Sun there are two moments each year when the Sun is exactly above the equator. These moments are called equinoxes which occur around March 20 or 21. The summer solstice occurs during the hemisphere’s summer.

This is the northern solstice in the northern hemisphere and the southern solstice in the southern hemisphere. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the summer solstice occurs sometime between June 20 and June 22 in the northern hemisphere and between December 20 and December 23 each year in the southern hemisphere.

The winter solstice (or hibernal solstice), also known as midwinter, is an astronomical phenomenon marking the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year.

In the Northern Hemisphere this is the December solstice and in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the June solstice. It occurs on 22 September in the northern hemisphere and 20 March in the southern hemisphere. The autumnal equinox occurs on September 23.

Answer: (c)

The Earth completes one “rotation” every twenty four hours. A rotation is when the planet spins around once. The Earth rotates counter-clockwise; this is why the Sun “rises” in the east and “sets” in the west. Revolution is when one object completes a circular path around another object.

The Earth takes 365.24 days to revolve around the Sun. This is why a year is 365 days long. During the year the Earth is angled differently towards the Sun.

These changing angles provide us with different Sun intensities and therefore we get four different seasons.

Answer: (b)

Answer: (a)

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon gets between Earth and the sun, and the moon casts a shadow over Earth. A solar eclipse can only take place at the phase of new moon, when the moon passes directly between the sun and Earth and its shadows fall upon Earth’s surface.