The Earth, Moon, & Beyond

Rotation of the Earth

• Rotate means to spin

• the Earth rotates once every 24 hours

• This is what causes day and night

• it is tilted on its axis as it rotates

• sometimes it leans towards the sun and sometimes away

• This is what causes the seasons to change

Revolve

• The Earth revolves or orbits around the sun

• orbit = the elliptical path around the sun

• we revolve around the sun once every 365.25 days

• how close or far we are from the sun does not affect seasons

Solstice• The day with the most

sunlight is the summer solstice; June20 or 21(when we are tilted the most towards the sun)

• the day with the least sunlight is the winter solstice; Dec. 21 or 22 (when we are tilted the most away from the sun)

• the halfway points are called equinoxes

DRAW CONCLUSIONS If Earth were not tilted on its axis, how would life be different?

The Phases of the Moon

LUNAR PHASES

Wax On Wax Off

Moon Phases

moon_challenge

HERE IS A GOOD SITE TO TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE LUNAR CYCLE.

The Moon

• The moon is about 1/4 the size of the Earth

• It has 1/6 the gravity of Earth

• No atmosphere• No liquid water

More Moon

• Earth & moon have craters

• Both are rocky and dense

• Both rotate and revolve

• The same side of the moon always faces the Earth

Lunar Eclipse

• Where Earth passes directly between the sun and moon casting a shadow on the moon. The moon goes through all phases in a matter of minutes.

Solar Eclipse

• Where the moon passes directly between the Earth and sun blocking view. This eclipse is harmful to your eyes so don’t look directly at it!

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• How often does the Earth rotate?

• How long is one revolution of the Earth?

• How many phases of the moon are there?

• What is an orbit?

• What is a satellite or moon?

• How many people have been to the moon?

Create a Venn Diagram comparing the Earth and Moon

Inner Planets

• Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars

• All are rocky and dense

• Mercury has almost no atmosphere

• Venus is hotter than Mercury because of its thick atmosphere

• Mars shows evidence of once having water. Its atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide.

Outer Planets

• Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune• Gas giants which are composed mostly of

hydrogen and helium• Jupiter is largest with a storm that has lasted about

400 years (The Great Red Spot)• Saturn has many rings made of ice, dust, and

frozen gas• Uranus spins on its side• Neptune has the fastest winds in the solar system