During which moon phase do spring tides occur?
new moon and full moon
first quarter and third quarter
waxing gibbous and waning gibbous
waxing crescent and waning crescent
Spring tides occur during both the new moon and full moon phases.
During which phase of the moon does a lunar eclipse occur?
full moon
third quarter
waxing gibbous
waning crescent
A lunar eclipse occurs during a full moon phase.
During which phase does Earth see more than half of the moon’s surface?
first quarter
third quarter
waxing gibbous
waning crescent
During the waxing gibbous phase, Earth sees more than half of the moon's surface.
Which term describes one kind of movement of Earth?
eclipse
revolution
tilted orbit
lunar cycle
One term that describes a kind of movement of Earth is revolution.
Why do we see different phases of the lunar cycle?
As the moon rotates around its axis, different sides of it become visible.
As Earth rotates around its axis, people can see different sides of the moon.
As Earth revolves around the Sun, the moon is cast in different shadows by Earth.
As the moon revolves around Earth, the different amounts of the sunlit side faces Earth.
The correct statement is: As the moon revolves around Earth, the different amounts of the sunlit side face Earth. This is what causes the different phases of the lunar cycle.
Spring tides occur during the new moon and full moon phases. To understand why this is the case, let's first have a brief overview of what spring tides are.
Tides are caused mainly by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun on Earth's oceans. When the gravitational forces align, we experience higher than average high tides and lower than average low tides. These are called spring tides, and they occur during the new moon and full moon phases.
During a new moon, the Moon is located between the Earth and the Sun. In this configuration, the gravitational forces from the Sun and the Moon combine, resulting in a higher-than-usual tide known as a spring tide. Similarly, during a full moon, the Earth is positioned between the Sun and the Moon. Again, the gravitational forces from both celestial bodies reinforce each other, leading to another spring tide.
On the other hand, the first quarter and third quarter phases, as well as the waxing gibbous and waning gibbous phases, do not have the same alignment of gravitational forces and therefore do not result in spring tides.
Finally, the waxing crescent and waning crescent phases are transitional phases between the new moon and the first quarter, and the third quarter and the new moon, respectively. These phases do not have a significant impact on tide levels.
In summary, spring tides occur during the new moon and full moon phases, when the gravitational forces from the Sun and the Moon combine, causing higher than usual high tides and lower than usual low tides.