Misconceptions about the natural world.

The light from the moon comes from...

-Light that has bounced off the surface of the earth.

-Sunlight.

-The moon itself, as it generates its own light.

-Starlight.

The phases of the moon are caused by…

-A shadow cast by the earth onto the moon.

-The day of the month.

-Our perspective of the moon.

-The light bouncing off of the earth on one side.

Objects stay in orbit around the earth because…

-A visual illusion.

-The sun pulls them away from the surface of the earth.

-They are attached by an invisible string.

-The objects’ tangential speed causes the earth’s surface to ‘fall away’ as it is falling towards the surface.

Sunsets are caused by…

-The sun changing color.

-Light from the sun has to traverse more atmosphere as the sun sets, diffusing longer wavelength light.

-Gas in the sky is heated up by the sun’s light.

The sky is blue because…

-The shorter wavelength light (blue light) is more easily diffused by particulate matter.

-The sky is full of water, and water is naturally blue in color like the ocean.

-Our eyes assign the sky the color blue.

-The same reason some people’s eyes are blue.

Lightning is caused by…

-An electrical discharge between charged regions of the cloud.

-The friction between two clouds.

-The splitting of water molecules due to thermodynamic energy.

-The presence of a lightning rod.

Lightning rods…

-Sucks charge from the sky, reducing the number of lightning strikes.

-Provides an electrical outlet for lightning strikes to discharge safely.

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