Water is distributed on Earth through the never-ending water cycle. The heat from the Sun keeps the water cycling through the various stages. The Sun heats water into a vapor, which later cools and forms into the billions of droplets that make up clouds. The moisture in clouds falls back to Earth as rain, snow, hail, or sleet. The water that falls back to Earth can be absorbed into the ground or fill lakes, ponds, oceans, and other bodies of water. The topography of the land affects the amount of precipitation that the area receives. Each site has variations in elevation, and the Earth is shaped differently, which changes the amount and type of precipitation. The process of the water cycle continues with no beginning or end, and it does not have to follow the stages in a specific order or pattern.

What is the term for the stage of the water cycle when water returns to Earth as hail, snow, rain, or sleet?

Water covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface in oceans, lakes, and rivers. Water moves into the oceans from rivers and streams. What is the term for the process of water moving out of the ocean?

Besides the Sun, all other stars appear to be pin-pricks of light. Why do the other stars appear so small?

Four students are making claims about stars and their apparent brightness.

• Ursula: "The star that appears brightest to us is the Sun because it is the largest in the galaxy."
• Gretel: "The Sun appears to be the brightest star because it is the closest to Earth."
• Hansel: "The Sun is the brightest star when looking from Earth because it is the hottest."
• Phoebe: "I have seen brighter stars than the Sun; it isn't that great."

Their teacher shares the following information from NASA, "Of course, the star that appears the brightest to all of us on Earth is the Sun. Although it is a rather typical star, not all that different from many of the ones you see at night, we live so close to it that it outshines everything else. Even the next closest star is more than a quarter of a million times farther from Earth, so it is not surprising that the light from the Sun overwhelms that from other stars."

Which student's argument is supported by the teacher's research?

Source: https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/review/dr-marc-space/brightest-star.html

A series of photographs of a 1-meter stick and shadow were taken throughout the day. Students analyzed the photos and recorded the data in the table below. What pattern(s) are revealed about the length of the shadow in the provided data?

Dev looked at the night sky through his telescope on the first night of each season (spring, summer, fall, and winter). Each night he started looking at the stars at the same time and the same location. He observed the stars for five hours each night. If the sky was clear of clouds on all four nights, which of the following did he most likely observe?

Mr. Green's class is studying the Solar System and Milky Way Galaxy. Today they are doing an investigation in the lab. Asia and Chele are partners for today's activity. They are given a ping pong ball with a sticker on one side, a flashlight, and their lab journals with a pencil for recording observations or data. Mr. Green turns off the lights. Asia holds the ping pong ball that represents Earth at a slight angle (like its axis) while Chele shines a flashlight on the center of the ball. Asia slowly rotates the Earth counterclockwise, and they observe where the light shines and where it doesn't. They take notice of the sticker and whether the sun shines on it or it is in darkness while the Earth rotates. Their observations are below.

Based on Asia and Chele's observations, how do we know which areas of the world are experiencing daytime?

Mr. Green's class is studying the Solar System and Milky Way Galaxy. Today they are doing an investigation in the lab. Asia and Chele are partners for today's activity. They are given a ping pong ball with a sticker on one side, a flashlight, and their lab journals with a pencil for recording observations or data. Mr. Green turns off the lights. Asia holds the ping pong ball that represents Earth at a slight angle (like its axis) while Chele shines a flashlight on the center of the ball. Asia slowly rotates the Earth counterclockwise, and they observe where the light shines and where it doesn't. They take notice of the sticker and whether the sun shines on it or it is in darkness while the Earth rotates. Their observations are below.

How does the amount of sunlight change as the Earth rotates?

What sphere interactions can you infer from this photograph?

The model shows a venn diagram comparing three of Earth's four spheres. Which of these Earth events belongs in position D because it is influenced by all three?