Why do you see only half of the Earth?

Where on the Earth is it daytime and

where is it night?
In which direction is the Sun?
Why do you think this photograph had
a profound effect on people's feelings
about the Earth? How does it affect you?
 Chapter21

In this section, you will learn the following:

• Know that the Earth is a planet that rotates on its tilted axis once in about 24 hours. Use this to
explain observations of the apparent daily motion of the Sun and the periodic cycle of day
and night.
• Know that the Earth orbits the Sun once in about 365 days. Use this to explain the periodic nature
of the seasons.
• Know that the Moon takes about one month to orbit the Earth. Use this to explain
the Moon's phases.
2
• 0 Define average orbital speed and use the equation v = ~ .
T

How does the Earth move?

The Earth is a planet. Planets orbit a star. Our star is the Sun.
*ENRIOIMENT ~
INFO \?!/
The Earth takes about 365 days or one year to orbit the Sun. Every time you celebrate your birthday,
you have travelled one more time around the Sun! How many times have you travelled around
Leap Years
the Sun?
Our calendars have
365 days in a year. The
The Earth also rotates on its axis and it takes about 24 hours or one day to rotate once. The Earth's axis
Earth takes closer to is tilted at an angle of about 23.5 degrees towards the plane of its orbit.
365 days and six hours to
travel once around the
Sun. In four years, the
How does day and night come about?
difference between the Stars produce energy by nuclear fusion and give out light so they shine brightly. A planet only shines
orbit time and calendar when the light from a star lands on it.
time adds up to 24 hours.
So, in every four years, The Sun shines on the half of the Earth that is facing it. This half experiences daytime. The other half
an extra day is added to is in darkness, which experiences night-time. In 24 hours, the Earth spins once and we move from the
the calendar making a light into darkness and back into the light again.
leap year. In a leap year, On the Earth, we see the Sun move across the sky from East to West. This apparent movement is
February has 29 days
because the Earth is spinning about its axis as it orbits the Sun.
instead of 28 days.

i 24°
l oftilt
WORD ALERT ~

Apparent: can be
observed

,
I
I

spin axis/
I' ct Earth's orbit round the Sun light from
the Sun
Figure 21.1 The day and night cycle is due to the Earth's rotation about its tilted axis.

Earth and t he Solar Syst em

What is a season?
Temperate countries have d"ffi 1
patter~s are called seasons. rtent weather patterns at different times of the year. These weather
and winter. ere are four seasons every year - spring, summer, autumn ~ WORDALERT

Temperate: having
Seasons occur because the£ h .
Earth receive different am art orbits the Sun on a tilt. At different times of the year, places on the moderate climate,
aunts of the Sun's rays experienced by
Figure 212 shows how the t"lt f , . · countries between the
Here, the North Pole is tilte~ d~ th e Earths ax,s affects the periods of daytime and night-time. tropics and the polar
,rectly towards the Sun. regions of the Earth

North

-0 QUICK CHEC K

Refer to Figure 21.2.

Point X is experiencing
dawn. Night has just
C ended and daytime is
starting.
True or false?

,
,,
,
light from
, the Sun
,

B is in the temperate zone C is on the Equator. Places

A is at the Arctic Circle.
between A and C. Places around the Equator have
Places north of this circle will
here have longer days and equal periods of daytime
be In daylight for 24 hours
shorter nights. and night-time.
and the Sun never sets.

Dis in the temperate zone E is at the Antarctic Circle.

between Cand E. Places Places south of this circle will
here have shorter days and be in darkness for 24 hours
and the Sun never rises.
longer nights.

Figure ll.2 The rilt of the Earth's axis causes different parts of the Earth to have different lengths of daytime
and night-time. ·

Earth and the Solar System 365

 Chapter 21
Figure 213 shows the Earth in its orbit at different times of the year and the corresponding seasons
for the Northern Hemisphere.

SUMMER WINTER
December
June

· *ENRICHMENT /ft
ACTIVITY \ ¥ / AUTUMN
September
Figure 21.3 is certainly not
drawn to scale.Try this to
see why!
• I
Earth's radius = 6 x 106 m
Sun's radius = 7 x 108 m
Radius of Earth's orbit=
1.5 X 10 11 m
If the Sun's radius was
reduced to 5 mm, what
would the distance Figure 21.3 The seasons in the Northern Hemisphere (not to scale).
between the Sun and
the Earth be to the same
scale? On this same scale, In the months around June, the tilt of the North Pole is towards the Sun. As shown in Figure 213, the
what would the Earth's Northern Hemisphere, above the Equator, will have long days and short nights. It is hotter because
radius be? the Sun rises higher in the sky and there are more hours of sunshine. This is the summer ~eason.
As the orbit continues, the Earth's axis no longer tilts towards the Sun. In September, the Northern

-0
Hemisphere is tilted in the direction of travel. The days gradually become shorter and the nights
longer. Shorter days mean cooler temperatures, and it is autumn.
QUICK CHECK
Around December, the tilt of the North Pole will be away from the Sun. In the Northern Hemisphere,
Look at the Southern the days will be shortest and the nights longest. Fewer hours of sunlight and the Sun rises lower in
Hemisphere in Figure 21.3. the sky means it will be colder. This is winter.
It will be winter in June
and summer in December. In March, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted in the direction of travel again. The days gradually
become longer and the nights shorter. The land will be warming up again as spring arrives.
True or false?

Earth and the Solar System

How does the Sun appear to move during the day?
Remember that the Sun
as it orbits the Sun. Th Eapphear~ to move across the sky because the Earth is spinning about its axis
iii) HELPFUL NOTES

the West. e art spins from West to East, so the Sun appears to rise in the East and set in You must never look
directly at the Sun. A
At the Equator, the Sun alw .
12 hours long. The Sun is al ays ns~s due east and sets due west, so the days and nights are always glass lens can focus the
have little seasonal ch moS t directly overhead at midday all year. Places near the Equator Sun's rays to set fire to
all year. ange because the Sun's position in the sky does not change very much paper. Your eye lens
would focus the Sun's
In the Northern Hemis h , . . energy onto the light
Also, the Sun rises hi : r ".'re, th e Su_ns path across the sky 1s longer m summer than in winter. 1 sensitive cells of your eye
. g e m th e sky in summer than in winter. and damage them.
Light from the Sun is mor .
of the Earth. e intense when it is higher in the sky as the rays spread over a smaller area

Figure 21.4 shows the a .

Manchester is about st%arent motion of the Sun in the sky for Manchester in the UK. , ~ PHYSICS WATCH
there is 17 hours betwe egre~s north of the Equator. On the lon$est day of the year, June 21st,
hours of dayr h en sunrise and sunset. On the shortest day, December 21st, there is only Scan this page to watch
75 1g t.
a time-lapse video of
the longest day and the
shortest day taken at the
same place.
What differences do you
expect to see?

-0' QUICK CHECK

The Sun moves across

the sky in the daytime
because it is orbiting
around the Earth.
True or False?

Figure 21.4 The Sun's apparent movement across the sky 53 degrees north of the Equator.
~ ' E~~ICHMENT*

Why does the Moon's appearance change? \!fl ACTIVITY

1 Make a record of the
Some planets have natural satellites or moons that orbit them as they orbit the Sun. The Earth has · Moon's appearance.
one natural satellite called the Moon. Like the planets, moons do not give out light. We only see Observe the Moon every
the Moon's surface when light is reflected back from it. ' day for 28 days. Note the
date and the time you
The Moon takes approximately 28 days to orbit the Earth once. It orbits the Earth with the same side made the observation.
facing the Earth as it travels round. Draw a circle to
represent the Moon and
shade in the dark part to
record its appearance.
Use Figure 21.5 on
page 352 to show where
the Moon is In its orbit
round the Earth.

Earth and the Solar System 367 :

I
 Chapter 21
' -<

The appearance of the Moon in the sky changes from day to day. This depends on the Moon's
position relative to the Sun and the Earth. The different appearances are known as the
ENRICHMENT nt
INFO \ ! ! !
phases of the Moon.
Study Figure 21.5. The Earth, with the Moon at different positions in its orbit (inner circle), is shown as
The Sun is about 400 times viewed from above the North Pole. The Moon is also shown as how it appears from the Earth at those
further from the Earth
different positions (outer circle).
than the Moon. The Sun's
diameter is about One half of the Moon is in sunlight, so the Moon is always half-illuminated. When the Moon is in
400 times greater than position 1, the bright half of the Moon is facing the Earth. On the Earth, you would see a bright round
the Moon's. So, the Sun full Moon in the sky at night.
and Moon appear to be As the Moon continues its orbit, less and less of the bright half of the Moon is facing the Earth, and
the same size in the sky.
more and more of the dark side of the Moon is seen . Positions 2, 3 and 4 in Figure 21.5 shows how the
Occasionally, for some Moon appears from Earth as the bright part is getting smaller or waning.
places on Earth, a new
Moon coincides exactly In position 5, the dark side of the Moon is facing the Earth. This is called the new Moon. It is only
with the Sun.The Moon illuminated by a little light renected from the Earth. This occurs in daytime so the new Moon is
completely blocks out the not visible.
Sun.This is called a total
In the rest of its orbit, more and more of the bright part of the Moon can be seen from the Earth.
eclipse. The Sun disappears
The Moon is said to be waxing.
and daytime turns to night-
time for a few minutes.

Figure 21.5 The phases of the Moon (not to scale).

Earth and the Solar System

How quickly is the Moon orbiting the Earth?
Remember that speed is d.1st . . . .
ance travelled per unit time and average speed 1s given by the equation.
5
v= t where v = average speed (in m/s)
s = total distance travelled (in m)
t = total time taken (ins)
For a circular orbit, the total distance for one orbit would be the circumference of
a circle.
Circumference= 2m wh
ere r = average orbital radius
The Moon's orbit around the Earth is a slightly squashed circle called an ellipse.
But if we use ~he average radius of the orbit, we can use the following equation for the
average orbital speed:
211,
v= T where v = average orbital speed (in m/s)
r = average orbital radius
T = orbital period

Worked Example 21A ~ LINK

It takes 273 days for the Moon to travel once around the Earth. The average radius of the Moon's Recall what you have learnt
orbit is 385 000 km. Calculate the average orbital speed of the Moon .. in Chapter 2 about speed
and average speed.
Solution
First, we must convert the units.
Average radius = 385 000 km = 3.85 x 108 m
Orbital period = 273 x 24 x 60 x 60 = 2.36 x 106 s
Average orbital speed= 2m
2 3 35 1
rr( . x os) = 1.03 x 103 mis
T 2.36 X 106

Let's Practise 21.1

Choose from the words below to complete the sentences.
natural satellite planet st0 r
The Earth is a ____ which orbits a - - - called the Sun.
The Moon is a - - - of the Earth.
2 State how many times the Earth spins on its axis every year.
3 Which is the correct reason for the Sun's apparent movement across the sky every day?
A The Sun's rotation about its axis.
B The Earth's rotation about its axis.
C The Sun's rotation around the Earth.
D The Earth's rotation around the Sun.
of these statements is true or false.
4 State w het hereach
occurs when the dark side of the Moon faces the Earth.
~ WORD ALERT
(a) A new Moon
ccurs when the dark side of the Moon faces the Earth.
(b) A full Moon o
Moon occurs when half of the bright side is seen and this part is decreasing.
(c) A first quarter Sliver: small, thin I
. nt Moon occurs when a sliver of the bright side is seen and this part and narrow part of
I
(d) A waxing cresce
is increasing. something

Earth and the Solar System

369 i:
 ' .···'i,_/,\: / ◄
Chapter i ·f:-~:
' i-· :~f

5 0 The International Space Station orbits the Earth 410 km above its surface. It takes
----~---- ~ - 92 minutes to complete one orbit. Work out its average orbital speed in m/s.
' LINK ~ (Take the radius of the Earth to be 6 400 km.)
I

Exercise 21 A 6 Mind Map Construct your own mind map for the concepts that you have learnt in
this section.

In this section, you will learn the following:

• Describe the Solar System.
• Know the physical difference between the four planets nearest to the Sun and the four planets
furthest from the Sun. Explain this difference.
• Know what affects the strength of a planet's gravitational field.
• Know that planets orbit the Sun due to the mass of the Sun.
• Know that the Sun's gravitational attraction keeps an object in orbit around the Sun.
• Calculate the time it takes for light to travel between objects in the Solar System.
• 0 Know that planets, minor planets and comets have elliptical orbits and that the Sun is not at
the centre except when the orbit is nearly circular.
• 0 Know that an object in an elliptical orbit travels faster when closer to the Sun and explain this
using the conservation of energy.
• 0 Analyse and interpret planetary data.
• 0 Know how the Sun's gravitational field decreases with distance and how this affects the orbital
speed of the planets. · ·

How was the Solar System formed?

The Earth, Sun and Moon are part of our Solar System. Figure 21.6 shows the main known objects
lined up. The diagram is certainly not to scale- most of the Solar System is empty space.

Figure 21.6 Diagram showing the main objects in our Solar System

Earth and the Solar System

Figure 21.7 gives more inform .
ation about the main objects in our Solar System.
) \I 1/11
.:::' 11,,.
...... . .::,. One star called the Sun is
Other objects in the Solar System that orbit the Sun
at th e centre of our Solar
System. are minor planets which include:

0
Eight planets orbit the Sun.
• In order of their distance Dwarf planets - these are
from the Sun, these are less massive than the eight
called Mercury, Venus, planets but are also almost
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, spherical. Their gravity is not
Uranus and Neptune.
enough to attract nearby
• Mercury, Venus, Earth and matter, so there may be other
Mars are smaller rocky objects in their orbit. Pluto is
planets. Jupiter, Saturn, a dwarf planet in the Kuiper
Uranus and Neptune are belt with a very elliptical orbit.
larger planets made from
gas and ice.

Asteroids - these are

Most of the eight planets
have one or several moons. irregularly shaped lumps
A moon is a natural satellite of rock left over from the
which orbits a planet. The formation of the Solar System.
Earth has just one moon. Asteroids have elliptical orbits.
Saturn has over 50 moons.

The asteroid belt between Comets - these are lumps

Mars and Jupiter contains of frozen gases and dust left
many asteroids. Ceres is the over from the birth of the
only object in the asteroid belt
which is large enough to be
Solar System and they have
very elliptical orbits. ·n,., -r+
EN
.. RJGIMENT
' \SIINFO
classified as a dwarf planet.
Pluto
The Kuiper belt beyond Pluto was discovered in
Neptune contains more 1930 and declared to be
The Oort cloud is thought the ninth planet of the
to contain icy rocks and leftovers from Solar System.
Solar System. After 1992,
dwarf planets like the It has asteroids and other
it was found to be less
Kuiper belt. It is also home dwarf planets as well as Pluto. massive than previously
to comets with orbit times Comets with orbit times of thought, so it was
longer than 200 years. less than 200 years, such as reclassified as a dwarf
Halley's comet, originate here. planet.

Figure 21.7 Main objects in our Solar System

About 4.6 billion years ago, the Solar System was formed from a swirling cloud of gas and dust in ~ LINK
space. This cloud, called a nebula, consists of mainly hydrogen plus a mixture of heavier elements.
The particles in the cloud were attracted to each other because of the force of gravity between them. Recall what you have
learnt in Chapter 3 about
Gradually, the cloud began to collapse which made it spin faster. Energy is transferred from the
gravity.
gravitational potential stores of the particles to their kinetic stores as the particles began to
move. Energy in the kinetic stores of the particles is then transferred to the thermal store of the Recall what you have
1
learnt in Chapter 6 about
surroundings as the particles crashed together. A hot spinning mass called a protostar was formed
gravitational potential
at the centre of a swirling disc of gas and dust. The swirling disc is called an accretion disc.
store of energy and
Accretion is the accumulation of particles into a massive object by gravitational attraction. kinetic store of energy.
Eventually, the protostar became dense and ~ot enough for nuclear fusion to occur at its centre. It
became a star_ the Sun - and began to give out an enormous amount of energy.

Earth and the Solar System 371 ·.

 Chapter21
The matter in the spinning disc also gradually clumped together to become the rest of the S~lar
System. The four rocky planets formed from heavier material that was pulled near the Sun by its force
of gravity. Lighter gases collected further away, forming the four gas giants.

0
0

--------=-----
0

A Acloud of dust and gas, a A Aprotostar is formed at the A The central mass becomes a star.
centre with a disc of gas Matter in the disc collects to form
nebula, is pulled inwards
by the force of gravity. and dust swirling round it. the planets, moons and asteroids.

Figure 21.8 The stages in the birth of the Solar System.

What determines gravitational field strength?

Particles of gas and dust are small and have little mass. So their gravitational field strength is small

LINK § and the force of attraction is weak. As they clump together, the mass and the gravitational field
strength will increase. It will attract other particles with more force. The process is very slow at first but
gradually speeds up. It takes millions of years for a cloud of dust and gas to form a Solar System.
The speed of light is
3 x 108 mis. At what The Sun contains 99% of the matter in the Solar System, so its gravitational field is very strong. This is
speed do radio waves why it pulls the planets into orbit around it and they do not fly off into space. The gravitational field
travel in space? strengths of the planets are much weaker in comparison because they have much less mass.
Recall what you have Gravitational fields around the Sun and the planets extend into space. The further away the distance
learnt in Chapter 13
from the Sun or the planets, the weaker the gravitational field becomes.
about electromagnetic
waves.
How big is the Solar System?
In 1977, the US space agency NASA launched two unmanned space craft from the Earth. In 1989, one
of these, called Voyager 2, arrived close to Neptune, the furthest planet from the Sun (Figure 21.9). It
sent pictures of Neptune back to Earth using radio signals. Radio signals are carried by radio waves
that are electromagnetic waves and travel at the fastest speed possible. How long do you think it
took the signals to get back to Earth? See Worked Example 218.

I
I

Figure 21.9 Voyager 2's encounter with Neptune

Earth and the Solar System

....

Worked Example 218

When Voyager 2 was cl
signals back to Earth Cose to Neptune, it was about 4.5 x 109 km from the Earth. It sent radio
· alculate how long it took the signals to reach the Earth.
Solution
First, we must rearrange th e equation
. for speed: v =-5
5 t
t=-
v
Distance = 4.5 x 109 km = 45 x 1012m
Speed = 3 x 10s mis
:. Time t - 4.5 x 1012 m
3 x 1os m/s = 15 000 s = 42 h

What are the shapes of orbits?

Long ag~, aS t ronomers thought that all orbits were
perfect rncles. Detailed observations and measurements
showed that objects in the Solar System move in an
elliptical orbit. Remember that the Moon's orbit round
the Earth is slightly elliptical - like a squashed circle.
The eight planets also have slightly elliptical orbits with
the Sun near the centre. Some minor planets and moons
have orbits that are more elliptical. Figure 21.10 shows how
the shape of an ell ipse is obtained using two foci.
Comets have very elliptical orbits. The Sun is not at the
centre of the ellipse but at one focus. Comets are lumps
of frozen gases and dust left over from the birth of the
Solar System. They come from either the Kuiper belt or
the Oort cloud, and they orbit the Sun. Figure 21.10 Ellipse showing the two foci ~ WORDALERT
When a comet is furthest from the Sun, it travels very
Foci: centres, points,
slowly (Figure 21.11). Here, energy in its kinetic store is pivots
the lowest. The Sun's gravitational field pulls the comet towards it, so the comet speeds up. The
Focus: singular of foci
gravitational force is greatest nearest the Sun. Here, the comet moves the fastest and energy in its
kinetic store is the greatest. It starts to slow down as it moves away from the Sun again.
By the principle of conservation of energy, energy in the kinetic store of the comet is transferred to
its gravitational potential store as the comet moves away from the Sun. Energy is transferred back
from the gravitational potential store of the comet to its kinetic store as the comet moves towards
B QUICK CHECK

the Sun. A comet has the greatest

amount of energy in its
Also the increased heating effect near the Sun causes some of the comet's frozen gas to evaporate.
gravitational potential
This creates a long bright tail streaming away from the direction of the Sun, making the comet
store when it is closest to
visible. The bright tail disappears as it moves away again. the Sun. It has the least
amount of energy in its
gravitational potential
store when it is furthest
away from the Sun.
slow True or false?
fast

figure 21.11 Some stages in the path of a comet round the Sun

Earth and the Solar System 373 .

 Chapter 21
Perhaps the most famous comet is Halley's comet (Figure 21.12). It was first recorded by c,hinese
astronomers in 239 BC and is visible from the Earth for a short time every 79 years. Halley s comet
orbits the Sun in the opposite direction to the planets.

What determines the orbital speed of the planets?

Table 21.1 shows some data from NASA about the eight planets.
Table 21.1 Data about the eight planets of the Solar System from NASA

Figure 21. 12 Halley's comet Average ,.,

If I I • • • I • • • •
Approx.
range of
distance
from the Sun/
c, I

With th1 .
.
t • • I

. .. ..
. I

.
.
• I t

..
.
I I

.
..
, ..!ars
surface
tempsl°C
millions of km Earth

180 I • • I
Mercury 0.05 0.4
Venus 5200 0.9 0.6 465
0.8

■!II■ 150

MM\M 230 0.1 3300 ·0.4 2 -125to20

■¥MM 780 320 1300 12 -110

►i1!%1 1400 680 0.9 0.4 30 -140

95

N'ifi,iiM 2900 15 1300 .0.9 0.7 84 -195

1~!~1 1111
1 4500 17 1600 1.1 0.7 164 ~200

Look at the columns of the distance from the Sun and the time to orbit. Can you see a pattern
. +
*ENRIC~ MENT "7
THINK \ ! ! / .
between them?
As the distance from the Sun increases, the time to orbit the Sun also increases. Nearer to the Sun,
the gravitational field is stronger. The force on the inner planets pulls them into a tighter circle.
Would humans be able
They have a greater speed and have less distance to travel, so the time to orbit is much less.
to survive on any other
planet apart from the
Earth. If no, why? If yes,
what would they need
Let's Practise 21.2
from the Earth? What
other information about 1 (a) List the eight planets of our Solar System in order of increasing distance from the Sun.
the planets will you need (b) What is the difference between the nature of the four planets nearest the Sun compared
to find out? with the four furth.est away?
2 State the energy transfers that take place when the material in a cloud of dust and gas
clumps together.
3 Explain what is meant by the following terms:
(a) moon (b) asteroid (c) protostar
4 The Sun is 150 million kilometres from the Earth. Work out how long it takes the light from
the Sun to reach the Earth. (The speed of light in a vacuum is 3 x 108 m/s.)
5 0 Use Table 212 to answer the following questions.
(a) What is unusual about the temperature on Venus?
(b) Which planets have a gravitational field strength similar to the Earth's?
(c) Which planet is the most massive?

LINK§ (d) Which planet takes the longest to spin on its axis?
(e) The asteroid belt lies between Mars and Jupiter. Estimate the time in Earth years for
Exercises 21B-21C an asteroid in this belt to orbit the Sun.
Exercise 21 D Let's ReOect 6 Mind Map Construct your own mind map for the concepts that you have learnt in this section.

Earth and t he Solar Syste m

 I l
Cloud of dust and gas
• Molnly hydrogen ond
helium plus assorted
heavier elements
·~~ . . . . . . J.::::::,,.:.7=.==.:::-.:.·-:: ..--.=...

lhe force of gravity

causes mnllet 10
collect logether-
occre lion- to form

0
Gravitational field strength
• Increases with mass
• Decreases with distance
from planet
SOI:.~
SVSt
0

• 0

. 0
•
Main planets The Sun • Dwarf planets

} :~:
• Mercury • Astar • Moons
• Venus • Massive size produces • Asteroids
• Earth strong gravitational field • Comets
• Mars _
• Jupiter
• Saturn gaseous
• Uranus
• Neptune
} and large
- /

The Earth
•
• Spins once every 24 hours ••
to give night and day
• Orbits the Sun every year
00
(-36S days) on Its tilted
axis to give seasons
Orbits
• Kept In orbit by the Sun's
gravitational attraction
•0 Elliptical orbit with the Sun at
one focus

The Moon
•0 Orbital speed v = !!!!
r
• Earth's natural satellite • Time to orbit increases as
distance from the Sun increases
• Orbits the Earth every 27
days
• Appearance changes with
position In orbit (Moon
phases)

Earth and the Solar System

Chapter 21

Let's Review

Section A: Multiple-choice Questions 4 0 Figure 21.13 shows three stages in the formation
of our Solar System. Explain what is happening in
1 Which statement is incorrect?
each stage. [7]
A The Moon is a natural satellite of the Earth.
~
B The Earth spins on its axis once a year.
C The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System.
D The Solar System was produced from a cloud of dust
and gas.
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3
2 An astronaut goes to Mars where the gravitational field
strength is 40% of that of the Earth. Which statement Figure 21.13
correctly describes his mass and weight s 0 Figure 21.14 shows the orbit of a comet around
on Mars compared with the Earth? the Sun.
A Same mass and same weight
B Smaller mass and same weight
C Same mass and smaller weight A
D Smaller mass and smaller weight

Section B: Short-answer and Structured

Questions Figure 21.14

1 Explain why half of the Earth has 12 hours of night-time (a) Explain what a comet is. [1]
followed by 12 hours of daytime. [3] · (b) Give the name of this shape of orbit. [1]
2 Choose the correct word to complete the sentences (c) At which point in the orbit is the comet travelling
below which describe the seasons. [4] slowest? [1]
In December, the South Pole of the Earth is tilted (d) At which point in the orbit does the comet have

- - - - - (towards/away from) the Sun. The the most energy in its kinetic store? Explain your
temperate countries in the _ _ _ _ _ (Northern/ answer. [2]
Southern) Hemisphere will have long days and short (e) At which point in the orbit is energy being
nights. The _ _ _ _ _ _ (ArctidAntarctic) Circle will transferred from the kinetic store of the comet to its
have 24 hours of daytime. In the Northern Hemisphere, gravitational potential store? [1]
it is _ _ _ _ _ _ (summer/winter). (f) Halley's comet orbits the Sun every 79 years.
3 (a) Draw a diagram to show how the Sun, Earth and Give two reasons why it is only visible from the
Moon are positioned when a full Moon is seen. [2] Earth for a few days each orbit. [4]
(b) Assuming that the Moon takes exactly 28 days 6 0 Geostationary satellites are used to transmit
to orbit the Earth. Describe the appearance of communication signals from one continent to another.
the Moon They orbit above the same place on the equator.
(i) 7 days; [1] (a) Explain why their orbit time must be 24 hours. [1]
(ii) 14 days; [1] (b) These satellites orbit at a height of 36 000 km above
(iii) 21 days [1] the surface of the Earth. Work out their average
after the full Moon. orbital speed. [3]
(Take the radius of the Earth to be 6 400 km.)

Earth and the Solar System