Download THE UNIVERSE summary

THE UNIVERSE
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The Sun is our main source of light and heat. It’s also the most important factor in producing weather.
Solar storm happens when the Sun emits huge amounts of energy. Solar storms create the auroras and can damage satellites orbiting the Earth.
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Space rocket is a vehicle used to launch people or objects into space.
(cohete especial)
Space probe is an unmanned space vehicle designed to obtain scientist information from other planets or from outer space and transmit it back to Earth
by radio.
(Sonda especial)
Artificial satellite is a man-made object which is launched into space and orbits the Earth or another planet in the Solar System.
(satélite artificial)
Space station is a huge spacecraft which orbits the Earth and where astronauts can live and do research for long periods.
(estación especial)
Telescope is an instrument used to view distant objects, such as planets and stars.
(Telescopio)
Planetarium is a building where the images of the night sky are shown.
(planetario)
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The Universe includes planets, stars, solar systems and galaxies. Most scientists think that The Universe was the result of a giant explosion called the
Big Bang.
THE SOLAR SYSTEM
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The Solar System is located at the edge of the Milky Way. It’s made up of the Sun and the celestial bodies that orbit it.
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The Sun is -
A star at the centre of the Solar System.
A huge ball made up of gases, mostly of hydrogen and helium.
About 110 times larger than the Earth.
It rotates on its axis.
It revolves around the centre of The Milky Way. (about 220 million years to complete one orbit)
INNER PLANETS
Warmer and smaller.
Mercury,
Venus,
Earth and Mars
PLANETS
CELESTIAL
BODIES IN THE
SOLAR SYSTEM
OUTER PLANETS
Cold and dark.
Named Gas giants because they
are made of gases.
Have rings and many moons.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and
Neptune.
Asteroid Belt
Between Mars and
Jupiter.
ASTEROIDS
NATURAL
SATELLITES
also called Moons.
Kuiper Belt
Beyond Neptune.
GEOCENTRIC AND HELIOCENTRIC MODELS
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GEOCENTRIC MODEL.- Ancient Greeks believed that The Earth was at the centre of the Universe. The Solar System orbits the Earth.
HELIOCENTRIC MODEL.- Copernicus (16th century) suggested that, in reality, the Earth and other planets orbit the Sun.
Galileo (100 years later) supported Copernicus’ theory using a telescope.
THE EARTH
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The Earth is the only planet where life is found. About 75% of its surface is water.
It moves in two different ways:
- The Earth’s rotation: It rotates anticlockwise on its axis.
It takes 24 hours to complete one rotation.
This rotation gives us day and night.
Day and night vary in length according to the season and your distance from the
Equator. At the Equator, day and night are approximately the same lengths all year
round.
- The Earth’s revolution: It orbits the Sun.
It takes just 365 days to orbit the Sun.
During this period we experience different seasons because the Earth’s axis is tilted.
As a result, our part of the planet receives more or less light during different months.
When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, it’s summer.
The first day of a season is called solstice (winter and summer) or equinox
(autumn, spring).
The solstices and equinoxes in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere are
opposite.
THE MOON
The Moon is the Earth’s natural satellite and its nearest neighbor. It’s around four times smaller than the Earth.
• It rotates on its axis and revolves around the Earth.
• It takes the Moon about 28 days to complete one revolution and one rotatio
rotation.
• There is no air or atmosphere on the Moon. There is also no wind or rain.
• The Moon’ss surface is rocky and has craters and mountains.
• The Moon doesn’tt produce its own light. We can only see the illuminated part that is facing the Earth.. This is why during the lunar month its
shape changes. These different shapes are called the phases of the Moon.
oceans. Every day we experience two high tides and two low tides.
Tides are created by the Moon’s gravity which pulls at the water in the oceans
ECLIPSES
When a celestial body moves
into the shadow of another
SOLAR ECLIPSE
The Moon blocks the sunlight
and casts a shadow on the
Earth.
LUNAR ECLIPSE
The Earth blocks the sunlight
and casts a shadow on the
Moon
3/10/2015