This is for a survey. So please dont look it up first. What causes the seasons and the phases of the moon.?

Question

I need your answers based on your knowledge without looking it up. This is for an educational studies course to determine what people really know about basic concepts of science. If you could please either tell me what you do for a living or what grade in school you are in, that would be great. Thanks. The two questions are 1. WHAT CAUSES THE SEASONS (winter, spring, summer, fall)? and 2. WHAT CAUSES THE PHASES OF THE MOON?

Answer 1

1 - The orbit of the earth around the sun combined with the Earth's axis not being perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic (23.5 degrees I think, and no, I didn't just look that up).
Summer is when your hemisphere is pointing towards the Sun, winter when pointing away.
Spring is when the hemisphere is moving into pointing towards the Sun (heating up) and autumn is when moving away (cooling down).

2 - The orbit of the moon around the Earth. The moon primarily shines by reflecting light from the sun (light reflected from the Earth in pretty negligible) and so the amount of light we see depends on the relative positions of Earth, moon and sun. When the Moon is between us and the sun, we obviously can't see any reflected light, so that's the new moon. When we're between the moon and the sun, we see the full face reflection and that's the full moon. Intervening phases correspond to the rest of the moon's orbit.

I'm a PhD Engineering student.

Answer 2

1. The seasons are caused by the tilt in the earth's axis relative to the plane of the ecliptic, and the motion of the earth around the sun (the earth's orbit).

At some time in its orbit around the sun, when the north pole is tilted toard the sun, more light and heat shine on the northern hemisphere per day (longer daylight, less night) hence summer is present. At the same time, less heat and light shine on the southern hemisphere, per day (short days, long nights) so it is colder and winter is present in the southern hemisphere.

When the poles are parallel with the sun's rotational axis, equal amounts of light and heat shine on both the northern and southern hemispheres per day (day and night are equal time), so spring and fall are the seasons.

2. The phases of the moon are caused by the movement of the moon around the earth (the moon's orbit around the earth).

When the moon is in its orbit in a place that is furthest away from the sun (the earth is in between the sun and the moon), then the light shining on the full facing surface of the moon reflects the earth. The moon appears "full".

About a week later, the moon will have moved in its orbit to a place where it is perpendicular to a line connecting earth and sun, so 1/2 of the moon's facing surface will be reflecting light to the earth, and 1/2 will be in shadow.

About a week after the 1/2 moon, the moon will have moved in its orbit to a place where it is in between the sun and the earth. On earth we see no reflected light -- a dark or "new" moon. Sometimes the moon can get exactly in line with the sun and the earth, and we see the direct shadow of the new moon, or an eclipse.

Likewise, for a full moon -- sometimes the moon gets in a direct line of the sun and the earth, and the earth casts its shadow directly onto the full moon. That's a lunar eclipse.


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Answer 3

I'm a 23yr old massage therapist.

umm, I don't know if it's a trick question but I assume the seasons are related to the orbit of earth. because the orbit is eliptical some periods of the year it is closer to the sun sometimes it's further. Is that off from what it really is? I didn't know it had seasons.

The phases of the moon are strictly due to our perspective of the moon. The moon may have the sun covering it's face, but it would only look like a quarter moon because we're looking at it from the side.

update: I'm sorry I thought you were asking what caused the seasons of the moon... the question was worded funny. ok the seasons on the earth are casue by the tilt of the earth. half of the earths orbit show the southern hemisphere to the sun more and the other half shows the northern. my bad.

Answer 4

1: The tilt in the Earth's axis causes Seasons. This causes certain areas of the Earth to be closer/further than others whilst at different degrees of orbit around the Sun. Note: not all areas of the world are subject to all four seasons.

2: Phases of the moon are caused by the sunlight reflecting on the Moon to be blocked by the Earth before it reflects.

I'm a financial systems analyst and I dropped out of school.

I didn't look the Seasons thing up but I already have done in the past. The Moon one is pretty much common knowledge though.

Answer 5

The Earth's axis is tilted 23 degrees, so as the Earth revolves around the sun, the seasons in the hemispheres change. When the Earth is on one side of the sun, the Northern Hemisphere gets more sun, and it's summer there, and vice versa.
The moon goes through phases because it rotates once for every revolution it makes around the Earth, I think. I'm not sure on that one.
I'm a junior in college, going for an Accounting degree.

Answer 6

1. the seasons are caused by the tilt of the earth's axis relative to the sun...the sun is higher in the sky in the summer and lower in the winter (although our orbit is elliptical, we are actually closer to the sun in the winter and farther in the summer, sounds counter-intuitive cause it has everything to do with the tilt and nothing to do with our position along the orbit )

2. phases are caused by the moon's orbit around the earth and thus the position of the sun shining on the moon, as we see it from our perspective...if that makes any sense

these are very simplified answers

i currently work in a law office, but i took an astronomy class in college...i'm 27

Answer 7

The seasons are caused by the tilt of the earth on its axis and the phases of the moon are caused by the rotation of the earth around the sun combined with the rotation of the moon aroung the earth. I bet there a many people who have no clue.

I am 27 years old and am a data entry clerk.

Answer 8

1) Seasonal changes are caused by the relative closeness and distance away from the sun as earth revolves itself and revolves around the sun.

2) Phases of the moon or what we perceive to be changes in the appearances of the moon is caused by our vantage point being able to see the reflected light from the sun on the surface of the moon.

Answer 9

You do realise you won't get a reliable sample from surveying this way? - because the ppl who read this section's questions have a much higher % of people who KNOW all about Space/Astron and have come here to answer questions like that than you would get in a neutral sample.

Answer 10

1) Tilted axis of the earth
2) Moon orbits the earth

Electrical engineer