A student watches the Sun climb from the eastern horizon early in the morning and drop below the western horizon in the evening. Which of Earth's two motions makes the Sun appear to travel across the sky?

At the moment it is midnight in Tokyo, students in Chicago are sitting in morning classes with the Sun already well above the horizon. Which of Earth's two motions carries a city from daylight into darkness?

A camera aimed at the northern sky records for six hours. Instead of standing still, the stars trace long circular arcs around a single point. What motion produces these star trails?

A pole's shadow is long and points west just after sunrise, is shortest near noon, and is long and points east by late afternoon. Which motion moves the shadow?

Orion is easy to spot in the evening sky in January but cannot be seen in the evening sky in July, then returns the next January. Which motion changes the part of space our night side faces?

Earth travels around the Sun along a path called its orbit. What keeps Earth moving along this path instead of flying off into space?

A distant space probe photographs Earth from a fixed point high above the Sun. Over twelve months the photographs show Earth tracing one complete closed loop. Which of Earth's motions did the probe record?

A farming calendar repeats the same planting and harvest times every twelve months, and has done so for centuries. Which of Earth's two motions sets the length of this repeating cycle?

How long does Earth take to complete one full rotation on its axis?

Scientists find a planet that spins once on its axis every 10 hours and travels once around its star every 200 Earth days. How long is one year on that planet?

Most calendars add one extra day to February every fourth year. Which fact about Earth's motion is that extra day making up for?

A planet spins once on its axis every 30 hours and travels once around its star every 400 Earth days. How long is one day on that planet?

Earth spins once on its axis each day while it also travels along its orbit. About how many rotations does Earth make during one complete revolution around the Sun?

Earth turns one full circle on its axis in about 24 hours. About how far around does it turn in 6 hours?

Earth spins around an imaginary line called its axis. Which two places on Earth does this axis pass through?

A student claims that Earth stops spinning at night and starts up again at sunrise. What really happens to Earth's spin?

Earth's path around the Sun is called its orbit. What shape is Earth's orbit?

Suppose Earth started rotating on its axis faster than it does now, while its trip around the Sun stayed the same. What would happen to the length of a day?

A student argues that rotation and revolution are just two names for the same motion. Which statement shows that they are different motions?

A student says the whole planet is dark during the night and the whole planet is lit during the day. What is actually true of Earth at any given moment?