Phases Of The Moon Gizmo Answer Key 2024 [FREE ACCESS]

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Phases Of The Moon Gizmo Answer Key

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Vocabulary: axis, crescent, First Quarter, Full Moon, gibbous, illuminate, Moon phase, New Moon, orbit, revolve, rotate, Third Quarter, waning, waxing.

Prior Knowledge Questions & Answers

[Note: The purpose of these questions is to activate prior knowledge and get students thinking. Students are not expected to know the answers to the Prior Knowledge Questions.]

Q.1. A Moon phase is what the Moon looks like from Earth at a particular time. In the space below, draw a few pictures of different Moon phases, based on what you have seen before.
Ans: Answers will vary. Check below image as an example:

Q.2. About how often does a Full Moon happen?
Ans: About once a month

 

Phases Of The Moon Gizmo Warm-Up Questions & Answers

Q.1. In the Phases of the Moon Gizmo™, click Play ( ). What do you notice about the motion of the Moon?
Ans: The Moon goes around Earth. [Counterclockwise]The path that the Moon takes is called its orbit. The Moon is revolving around Earth.

Q.2. What do you notice about the motion of Earth?
Ans: Earth is spinning. [Counterclockwise. Earth also is orbiting the Sun, but that is not shown.] This motion is called rotation. Earth rotates on its axis, a straight line connecting the North Pole to the South Pole.

Q.3. Where would you have to be to see the view shown above? Explain.
Ans: You would have to be in space. [The perspective is from directly over the North Pole.]

 

Gizmo Phases Of The Moon Answers – Activity A

Question: Why do we see phases of the Moon?

Q.1. Brainstorm: Why do you think we see phases of the Moon?
Ans: Answers will vary

Q.2. Run Gizmo:

• Click Play. As the Moon goes around Earth, notice what the Moon looks like on the right side of the Gizmo. (This shows what an observer on the North Pole would see.)
• Turn on the Show view area to see which part of the Moon is visible from Earth.

Q.3. Observe: How does the Moon’s appearance change as the Moon revolves around Earth?
Ans: At first the Moon is dark. Then the Moon is a thin sliver [crescent]. Then half of the Moon is lit up. Then most of the Moon is lit up. Then the Moon is full. After that, the Moon is mostly lit up, then half lit up, then a thin sliver, and finally completely dark again.

Q.4. Analyze:

• A. Look at the overhead view of the Moon and Earth. How much of the Moon is always lit up, or illuminated, by the Sun?… Ans: Half of the Moon is always illuminated.
• B. Can we always see the same amount of the illuminated side of the Moon from Earth? Explain… Ans: No. As the Moon orbits Earth, we see more and more of the illuminated side of the Moon until Full Moon is reached. We then see less and less of the illuminated side of the Moon until it goes back to the New Moon phase.

Q.5. Think and discuss: Based on your observations, why do we see Moon phases?
Ans: Moon phases are caused by two factors:
-> Half of the Moon is always illuminated by the Sun.
-> We see more or less of the illuminated side depending on the Moon’s position.

 

Gizmo Phases Of The Moon Answers – Activity B

Goals: Learn the names of Moon phases and when they occur.

Q.1. Run Gizmo: Click Play. When you are ready to fill in part of the diagram, click Pause ( ). Sketch what the Moon looks like and write the phase name and day next to your sketch. (The first two are done for you.) Click Play to continue.
Ans:…(check the below picture for answers)

Q.2. Predict: Suppose you saw a waxing gibbous Moon. What phase would you expect one week later?
Ans: Predictions will vary. [Waning gibbous] Test your prediction using the Gizmo.

Q.3. Think and discuss: Waxing means “growing” and waning means “shrinking.”

• A. Seen from the North Pole, which side of a waxing Moon is illuminated?… Ans: The right
  side
• B. Which side is illuminated when the Moon is waning?… Ans: The left side
• C. Suppose you see a crescent Moon. How do you know if it is waxing or waning?… Ans: If the right side is illuminated, it is waxing. If the left side is illuminated, it is waning. [As you move from the North Pole to the Equator, the Moon will appear to “tilt” more
  and more. From the Southern hemisphere the left-right directions are reversed.]

 

Phases Of The Moon Gizmo Answers – Extension

Question: If you look closely at the Full Moon, you may notice dark areas that look a bit
like a face. This is known as “The Man in the Moon.” Does this side of the Moon always
face Earth?

Q.1. Form hypothesis: Do you think we always see the same side of the Moon?
Ans: Answers will vary but the correct answer is yes.

Q.2. Run Gizmo: Click Play. The flag helps you notice how quickly the Moon is rotating. Click Pause when the flag has rotated in a full circle, showing that the Moon has rotated once.

Q.3. Observe: Where does the flag point as the Moon revolves around Earth?
Ans: Towards Earth.

Q.4. Draw conclusions: Do we always see the same side of the Moon? How do you know?
Ans: Yes, we always see the same side of the Moon. The Moon flag always points toward Earth.

Q.5. Observe:

• A. How long did it take for the Moon to go around Earth?… Ans: The Moon takes about 29.5 days to go around Earth. [Actually, it takes the Moon just over 27 days to revolve a full 360°. But Earth is also moving around the Sun at this time, so the Moon has to “catch up” for two days to get back to its original position.]
• B. How long did it take for the flag to rotate once in a full circle?… Ans: The Moon also takes about 29.5 days to rotate once. [Again, in reality, it takes just over 27 days, but because of Earth’s motion around the Sun it takes two extra days for the Moon to return to its original orientation relative to the Earth and Sun.]

Q.6. Analyze: What do you notice about these two-time intervals?
Ans: It takes the same time for the Moon to rotate as it takes to revolve around Earth. [This explains why we always see the same side of the Moon from Earth.]

Q.7. Think and discuss: Suppose the Moon rotated on its axis just as quickly as Earth. Would we still always see the same side of the Moon from Earth? Explain.
Ans: We would see all sides of the Moon every day. [The Moon would rotate 180 degrees in 12 hours, allowing an observer to see the front and back of the Moon in that time period.]

 

Above are the correct answers for the Gizmo topic “Phases Of The Moon“. Now let us bring you a glimpse about the Phases Of The Moon & its different types of phases in the coming session.

Or Would you like to explore other topics associated with Gizmos? >>Check all other Gizmo Answers<<

 

About Phases Of The Moon

The moon has multiple phases that occur during its orbit around Earth. These phases are determined by the amount of sunlight that is reflected off the moon’s surface.

Since 2008, an international team of lunar scientists called “the Moon Village Association” has been working to create a sustainable model for living and working on the moon. Their ultimate goal is to establish a permanent human presence on the moon by 2030.

The association has identified six phases of development for this endeavor: (1) robotic exploration, (2) resource utilization, (3) technological demonstration, (4) construction of infrastructure, (5) activation of services and amenities, and (6) expanding human activity beyond the original outpost.

 

Different Phases of the Moon

The phases of the moon are important not just for understanding our natural satellite, but also for planning our future in space. With continued exploration and development, we may one day see humans living on the moon and using its resources to support our ongoing journey through the universe.

The different phases are as follows:

• New Moon: This occurs when the moon is between Earth and the sun. Sunlight is not reflected off the moon’s surface, and it appears dark from Earth.
• First Quarter: This phase occurs when the moon is one-fourth of the way through its orbit around Earth. Half of the moon is illuminated by sunlight, and it appears as a thin crescent shape.
• Full Moon: This phase occurs when the moon is on the opposite side of Earth from the sun. All of the moon’s surface is illuminated by sunlight, and it appears as a full circular shape in the night sky.
• Last Quarter: This phase occurs when the moon is one-fourth of the way through its orbit around Earth. Sunlight is not fully reflected off the moon’s surface, and it appears as a half-circle shape.

The first phase of the cycle starts again with a new moon, and this pattern continues throughout the month (29 days). While we can’t see these phases from Earth, we can observe them from above via satellite images or other equipment that captures space events. These photos are then processed into the video to give viewers an accurate depiction of what each phase looks like from above.

This allows scientists to monitor changes on Earth such as climate change and deforestation, as well as track the paths of other planets in our solar system.

 

Thank you for reading! we hope the summary has provided you with some useful information about Phases Of The Moon that may help in answering the above questions as well.

 

More References:

=> https://moon.nasa.gov/moon-in-motion/moon-phases/

=> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_phase

 

Hope you find the Phases of the Moon Gizmo Answer Key for levels A, B & Extension by following our answers above. Share with your batchmates if you find it helpful.