© boardworks ltd 2004 1 of 20 © boardworks ltd 2005 1 of 58 ks3 physics 7l the solar system and...

7L The Solar System and Beyond© Boardworks Ltd 2004
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© Boardworks Ltd 2005
Days, years and seasons
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24 hours
365¼ days
The Earth spins on its axis, which is tilted at an angle of 23.5°, and also orbits the Sun.
This causes day and night and the seasons.
Day and night
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sunlight
It take the Earth 24 hours to complete one rotation about its axis.
Day and night
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What time is it?
It is 04:00 in London. What time is it in other parts of the Earth?
Casablanca
Philippines
Antanarivo
Pretoria
Place
GMT
Time
Casablanca
+1
Pretoria
+2
Antanarivo
+3
Philippines
+8
05:00
06:00
07:00
12:00
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Copy the diagram above and add two ‘sun lines’ – one line for summer and one line for winter.
autumn
summer
winter
east
west
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The Sun and the Moon look about the same size from Earth, but they are not.
The Sun is about 400 times wider than the Moon but is 400 times further away!
The Moon takes just over 27 days to orbit the Earth.
sunlight
These are the views of the Moon from Earth.
The Phases of the Moon
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new Moon
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crescent Moon
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The Phases of the Moon – half Moon
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gibbous Moon
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full Moon
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gibbous Moon
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half Moon
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crescent Moon
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1. The Moon does not produce its own light - how can we see it?
2. How long does it take the Moon to orbit the Earth?
3. Why do we always see the same side of the Moon?
4. Why do we only see a full Moon once a month?
5. What is a new Moon?
6. What force keeps the Moon in orbit around the Earth?
7. Why is there very little atmosphere on the Moon?
Homework: Find out how the Moon causes tides.
Questions about the Moon
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A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth. This casts a shadow over the Earth.
The last solar eclipse over the UK was on 11th August 1999. Solar eclipses do not occur very often.
A lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon. This casts a shadow over the Moon.
Lunar eclipses happen in most years.
Eclipses
What happens during a solar eclipse?
Where must the Moon be for a solar eclipse to take place?
During a solar eclipse the Moon moves directly between the Sun and the Earth.
During a solar eclipse the Moon blocks the Sun’s rays from reaching part of the Earth.
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Always use eclipse viewers, NEVER look directly at the sun.
The Earth
What happens during a lunar eclipse?
Where must the Moon be for a lunar eclipse to take place?
During a lunar eclipse the Moon is on the opposite side of
the Earth to the Sun.
During a lunar eclipse the Earth blocks the Sun’s light
from reaching the Moon.
1. Why do eclipses only last a few minutes?
2. Why do you think ancient people were frightened of eclipses?
3. What causes an eclipse of the Sun (a solar eclipse)?
4. What causes an eclipse of the Moon (a lunar eclipse)?
5. What would a lunar eclipse look like if you were an astronaut standing on the Moon?
6. Draw simple ray diagrams of a:
a) solar eclipse
b) lunar eclipse
Questions about eclipses
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Click on the Sun and each planet to learn more.
Skip all planet slides
The Solar System
Click on the Sun and each planet to link to the slide with information about that object.
To get back to this main page, click on the ‘return to Solar System’ button in the bottom-right corner of each information slide.
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return to Solar System
The Solar System – the Sun
Click on the ‘Return to Solar System’ button to get back to the Solar System main slide.
Sun
Mass
The Solar System – Mercury
Mercury
88 days
59 days
0 moons
The Solar System – Venus
Venus
224 days
243 days
0 moons
The Solar System – Earth
Earth
365 days
24 hours
1 moon
The Solar System – Mars
Mars
687 days
24h 37m
2 moons
The Solar system – Jupiter
Jupiter
11.9 years
9h 50m
63 moons
[+ 1 ring]
The Solar System – Saturn
Saturn
29.5 years
10h 14m
46 moons
The Solar System – Uranus
Uranus
84 years
10h 49m
27 moons
The Solar System – Neptune
Neptune
165 years
15h 48m
13 moons
The Solar System – Pluto
Pluto System
248 years
6.4 days
1 moon
Using the information about the Solar System, plot a graph
of ‘surface temperature’ [y] against ‘distance from the Sun’ [x]:
What happens to the surface temperature of planets as they get further away from the Sun?
Predict the surface temperature of a planet that is 7000 km away from the Sun.
Temperature in the Solar System
Chart1
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107.5
149.6
228
778
1427
2870
4497
5900
surface temperature [ºC]
Surface Temperature [C]
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1. Choose a planet you would like to know more about. You cannot choose Earth.
2. Using books or any other sources of information find out five facts about that planet.
3. Design a postcard from that planet. You need to draw a front to the postcard that suits your planet.
4. Write a postcard to someone on Earth as if you are visiting the planet you have chosen. You must use your five facts in your postcard.
Planet postcards
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1. Choose a planet you would like to know more about.
2. Find out about that planet using books and other sources of information.
3. Design a travel brochure to encourage people to come and visit the planet. You could tell people:
- how they can get there and how long it will take;
- the climate of the planet;
- where they will stay;
Planet travel guides
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For thousands of years, humans have been fascinated by the night sky and what lays beyond it.
Beyond the Solar System
Science fiction writers first suggested the idea that artificial satellites could be put into orbit around the Earth.
This only became reality in 1957 when the Soviet Union placed Sputnik I and Sputnik II into orbit – Sputnik II carried a live dog called Laika!
Today, artificial satellites are frequently launched by space shuttles and unmanned rockets.
Satellites – science fiction to science fact
Artificial satellites have many uses including communications, satellite TV, weather forecasting and navigation.
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You are here
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500 light years
500 light years = 500 x 9 000 000 000 000 kilometres
500 light years = 4 500 000 000 000 000 kilometres!
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Astronomical satellites, such as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), are large telescopes placed in a high orbit far from the effects of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Using satellites to view space
These satellites can ‘see’ much further into space and give us images of stars and galaxies many light years away, like this cartwheel galaxy.
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Our search for answers and clues to the origin of the Solar System and the possibility of life elsewhere led to the development of unmanned space probes.
For years, science fiction had brought us stories of Martians - but could they really exist or have existed?
On 4th December 1996, NASA launched the ‘Pathfinder’ Discovery Mission to Mars. It cost $150 million and took 7 months to reach Mars.
Exploring space – mission to Mars
When it had landed, the ‘Sojourner Rover’ buggy tested Mars’ atmosphere, surface and weather, amongst other things.
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Mars
687 days
24 h 37m
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The tests carried out by the Rover showed that Mars is much more like the Earth than was expected.
Was Mars like the Earth until something catastrophic happened?
Mission to Mars – tests on Mars
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Did the gases they gave out kill any Martian life?
The tests also showed that the crust of Mars is very similar to continental crust on Earth and that volcanoes had played a part in Mars’ formation.
Mission to Mars – volcanoes on Mars
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How much water was there on Mars?
Was there life in
the water?
The surface of Mars has undergone intense erosion by massive floods and by strong winds.
Mission to Mars – erosion on Mars
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1. Give two uses of artificial satellites.
2. Why can the Hubble Space Telescope ‘see’ much further into space and produce much clearer images than telescopes on Earth?
3. Why didn’t NASA send astronauts to Mars instead of spending millions of dollars on the ‘Pathfinder’ Discovery Mission?
4. Give two reasons why there is unlikely to be life on Mars.
Questions about satellites and probes
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Glossary
axis – The line that the Earth rotates about, which is tilted at an angle of 23.5°.
lunar eclipse – The blocking of the Moon’s light, when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon.
luminous – An object that gives out light.
orbit – The path of a planet around the Sun, or the path of a satellite around a planet.
satellite – Any object that orbits another object.
seasons – The different periods of a year caused by the tilt of Earth’s axis.
solar system – A star with planets and other objects orbiting around it.
solar eclipse – The blocking of the Sun’s light, when the
Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun.
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Diameter [km] 12,742
Distance from Sun
Distance from Sun
Distance from Sun
Distance from Sun
Diameter [km] 4,880
Distance from Sun
Diameter [km] 6,790
Distance from Sun
Distance from Sun
Diameter [km] 6,790
Distance from Sun
Distance from Sun
surface temperature [ºC]

© boardworks ltd 2004 1 of 20 © boardworks ltd 2005 1 of 58 ks3 physics 7l the solar system and...

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