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SCIENCE
EARTH and SPACE
Intermediate
People once thought that the
sun moved around the Earth.
After all, the sun seems to rise
in the east and set in the west.
Today we know that the Earth
rotates, or spins, not the sun.
This spinning causes day and night.
It is the reason that the sun
seems to rise, move across the
sky, and then set.
Have you ever been on a
merry-go-round?
It turns around a pole in its center.
Earth is like a giant merry-go-round,
but the pole is imaginary.
This imaginary pole is
called Earth’s axis.
How long does it take for the
Earth to complete one full rotation?
Rotation is counterclockwise
when viewed from the North Pole.
The axis runs through Earth’s center,
from the North Pole to the
South Pole. Earth rotates on its
axis once about every 24 hours.
South Pole
The axis is not at a 90 degree
angle. The Earth’s axis is tipped
over at an angle of 22.5 degrees.
This is why we experience seasons.
22.5
South Pole
As Earth rotates, only one side of
it faces the sun. This part of
Earth is having daytime. The other
side of the Earth faces away from
the sun and is having nighttime.
As the Earth rotates, we have day
and night over and over
again and again.
What is responsible for Americans
having daytime while it is
nighttime in Australia?
The time it takes a planet to rotate
once on its axis is 1 full day.
The rate of rotation is different for
each planet, so each planet has a
different number of hours in
one of its days.
One Earth day = 24 hours.
The Earth rotates on its axis from
WEST to EAST.
It takes 24 hours for the Earth
to make one complete rotation on
its axis.
W
E
As the Earth continually rotates on
its axis, tilted over at about 23
degrees, it is also moving in
another way.
It is revolving.
To revolve is to follow a path
around the sun.
Earth takes about 365 days to
make one complete orbit around the
sun. As Earth moves around the
sun, Earth’s axis stays tilted in
the same direction.
The tilt of Earth’s axis plus its
orbit causes the seasons.
The path that the Earth travels
on is called its orbit.
Earth’s orbit around the sun follows
the same path.
N
But not every planet has the same
number of hours in their day.
Some planets have shorter days
while others have longer days.
The amount of time it takes the
planet to complete one full rotation
determines the
length of each planet’s day.
Earth is divided into halves called
hemispheres. The upper half is
the Northern Hemisphere.
The lower half is called the
Southern Hemisphere.
The hemispheres
are divided into
halves by the
imaginary line
called the
Equator.
Equa = Equal
Hemi = Half
There is also
the Western
Hemisphere and
the Eastern
Hemisphere.
The Earth is cut
in half from
North to South.
Because of the tilt of the Earth,
the Northern Hemispheres is tilted
toward the sun during the summer
months and gets more rays of
sunlight. There are also more
hours of daylight and it’s warmer.
Summer is here.
When it is summer in the Northern
Hemisphere, the opposite season is
occurring in the Southern
Hemisphere.
The Southern Hemisphere is tilted
away from the sun and gets
less sunlight. There are fewer
hours of daylight, and it’s cooler.
It is winter.
In December, the Northern
Hemisphere is tilted away from
the sun. It’s winter now.
At the same time, the Southern
Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun.
Now it’s summer in the
Southern Hemisphere.
PATTERNS in the SKY
For thousands of years, people have
seen pictures in the stars.
They connect the stars to make
a pattern or a shape.
This is the
Big Dipper.
Star patterns are called
constellations. Constellations are
groups of stars that seem to
form a pattern in the night sky.
The early Greeks named constellations
after animals or people from
stories called myths.
The Big Dipper is part of a
constellation called Ursa Major,
or The Great Bear.
Orion is a constellation named after
a hunter in a Greek myth.
As Earth rotates on its axis,
constellations seem to move
across the night sky.
Like the sun, constellations seem to
rise in the east and
set in the west.
Stars above the North Pole,
don’t seem to move as much.
They move in a circle.
The positions of the constellations
seem to change with the seasons.
This is because we see different
parts of space as Earth
revolves around the sun.
Stars do change over time, but it
will take millions of years for a
constellation to change its shape.
Show What You Know
1.
Day and night are caused by Earth’s ______________________.
2. Earth revolves around the sun once every _____________________.
3. Earth’s seasons are caused by Earth’s revolution and _____________.
4.
During winter in the Northern Hemisphere, there are ___________
____________ and it is _____________.
5. When it is spring in the Northern Hemisphere, it is ______________
in the Southern Hemisphere.
6. Constellations appear to move across the night sky because of Earth’s
___________________________.
PLANETS and BEYOND
Earth Earth number 3 - Earth the perfect home for me!
M-V-E-M-J-S-U-N
(P - Little Pluto doesn’t count any more )
MERCURY
Mercury is the closest planet to our sun.
It’s only 36 million miles from our sun.
Mercury orbits the sun every 88 days and
spins or rotates on its axis every 59 days.
Mercury is the smallest planet in our
Solar System.
It is about the size of our moon.
Mercury has no moons or natural satellites
of its own.
There is very little atmosphere because of
the limited gravitational force.
The gravitational force is about 1/3 of Earth.
Mercury is extremely hot during the day
because it is so close to the sun.
It can reach 450 degrees C ( 840 degrees F)
during the day and then plummet
to -170 degrees C ( -275 degrees F) at night.
Mercury is very similar to Earth in
composition. It has a very rocky surface
and an iron core.
MERCURY
Roman god
of commerce, travel
and thievery
Mercury Mercury number 1! Mercury closest to the sun.
VENUS
Venus is the 2nd planet from our sun.
It is located between Mercury and Earth,
about 47 million miles from our sun.
Venus orbits the sun every 225 days.
It spins or rotates on its axis around the
sun every 243 days. So each day is longer
than its year.
Venus rotates east to west instead of west
to east, like on Earth.
Venus is called our “sister planet” because
it is almost the same size as Earth.
Venus has no natural satellites or moons.
The atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide.
There is no magnetic field on Venus.
Venus is covered with thick clouds which
hold in the heat. (greenhouse effect)
Temperatures range from about
500 degrees C (900 degrees F)
to -32 degrees C (-50 degrees F).
Venus has a rocky, waterless surface with
mountains, canyons, plains, and a 200 -mile
long river of hardened lava.
VENUS
Roman god
of love and
beauty
Venus Venus number 2. Too hot for me – too hot for you!
EARTH
Earth is the 3rd planet from our sun.
It is located 93 million miles from the sun.
Earth orbits our sun about every 365 days,
travelling at more than 67,000 mph.
Earth spins or rotates on its axis every
24 hours.
Earth 5th largest of all the planets.
It has one natural satellite, our moon.
The atmosphere is gaseous consisting of
78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen.
Earth’s gravity is
9.8 meters per second squared.
Strong enough to keep us from
floating away.
Over 71% of Earth is covered in water!
Allowing life to flourish.
The coldest temperature ever recorded was
89 degrees C (-128 degrees F).
The hottest temperature was
58 degrees C ( 136 degrees F).
EARTH
Earth Earth number 3! Earth the perfect home for me.
MARS
Mars is the 4th planet from our sun.
The surface can be seen in detail from Earth.
Mars is located 228 million km from our sun.
It takes 687 days to make a full orbit
around the sun and it spins or rotates
every 24+ hours.
Mars is half the size of Earth.
It is the 2nd smallest planet in our
Solar System.
The atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide.
The gravity is about 1/3 of Earth’s.
The temperature ranges from
-140 degrees C (-220 degrees F) to
20 degrees C ( 60 degrees F).
Mars has a hard rocky surface.
You can walk on Mars.
It is covered with dry red dust.
Mars has 2 permanent polar ice caps.
MARS
The red planet.
Mars Roman god of war. Mars Mars number 4!
JUPITER
Jupiter is the 5th planet and is over
466 million miles away from our sun.
It takes 12 years for Jupiter to complete
one orbit around the sun.
It takes 10 hours for Jupiter to spin or
rotate on its axis.
Jupiter is the largest of all the planets
in our Solar System.
At this time, 67 moons have been
discovered.
The atmosphere consists of hydrogen
and helium.
Jupiter is a giant ball of gas.
Temperatures range from
-163 degrees C to 121 degrees C.
JUPITER
Jupiter Jupiter number 5
Jupiter largest in the sky.
SATURN
Saturn is the 6th planet in our Solar System.
It is most remembered for the rings that
surround it.
It takes 29+ years to make one complete
orbit around our sun.
It takes 11 hours to spin or rotate on
its axis.
Saturn is the second largest planet.
It is 10 times the size of the Earth.
Saturn has at least 62 moons.
The atmosphere is made of hydrogen
and helium gases.
Saturn is the windiest of all the planets.
Saturn average temperature is
-178 degrees C.
It is composed of liquid and gas.
The famous rings are
made of ice crystals.
Saturn was named for the Roman god
of agriculture.
SATURN
Saturn Saturn
Number 6.
Saturn is the
windiest!
URANUS
It is located 1,783,939,400 miles from
the sun or 19.2 AU.
It takes 84 years to orbit the sun.
It spins on its side at 98 degrees and
it also spins backward.
It takes 17 hours to complete one rotation.
Uranus is the 7th planet and is the third
largest planet in our Solar System.
It has 27 satellites.
The atmosphere consists of 83% hydrogen
and 15% helium.
The average temperature is -197 degrees C
or -323 degrees F.
Uranus is a gas giant.
There is no solid surface on Uranus.
Uranus is surrounded by rings
and gets its blue green color from
methane gas.
URANUS
Greek god of
the sky.
Uranus flipped
over on its side.
NEPTUNE
Neptune is called a Blue Giant.
It is located 2.8 billion miles from our sun.
It takes 165 years to complete one orbit.
It takes 16 hours to spin or complete one
rotation on its axis.
Neptune has 13 known satellites.
Its atmosphere consists of 74% hydrogen,
25% helium, and 1% methane.
Neptune is tipped on its axis at 28 degrees
so it has seasons.
It is composed of gas and has rings.
NEPTUNE
Roman god
of the sea.
Neptune
number 8 for me.
PLUTO
Poor little Pluto is no longer
considered one of the planets in
our Solar System.
It has been demoted to a
“Dwarf Planet”.
It takes Pluto 6 days to spin or
rotate on its axis.
It takes 248 years for Pluto to
complete one orbit around the Sun.
Pluto is about half the size of
Mercury and has 5 known moons.
Pluto’s average temperature is
-233 degrees C or -382 degrees F.
Pluto is composed of nitrogen,
carbon monoxide, methane, and
water ices.
Pluto was named by an 11 year old
girl for the Roman god of the
Underworld.
PLUTO
PLUTO
Icy rock
Pluto – soon
to be forgot…
Earth’s Moon
The moon is Earth’s satellite.
A satellite is an object that moves
around another larger object in
space. Earth’s moon is the
largest and brightest object in
the night sky.
It looks large because it is
close to Earth.
But the moon is small compared
to Earth.
The Earth’s moon is a natural
satellite.
The moon doesn’t have any light
of its own. The light we see is
sunlight that hits the moon and
is reflected back to Earth.
The moon has no air, no wind,
and no liquid water.
The moon is about 1/4th the
size of Earth.
The pull of Earth’s gravity keeps
the moon in its orbit around Earth.
We can only see one side of the
moon from Earth. That is because
the moon takes the same amount
of time to rotate once around the
Earth as it does to orbit
the Earth once.
We can see the moon at night and
sometimes during the day.
The surface of the moon has been
been transformed as rocks and
debris slammed into it and
formed craters.
There are mountains and large,
flat plains on the moon.
The flat plains on the surface
are called maria (mah REE uh) which
is a Latin word meaning “seas.”
Each time you look at the
moon it looks differently.
One night it may be a tiny sliver.
Several nights later you might
see a bright round circle.
As Earth orbits the sun, the moon
also orbits Earth. The moon
reflects light from the sun.
That is the light we see
from Earth.
As the moon travels in its orbit,
different amounts of the moon’s
lit side can be seen from the
Earth.
The moon’s shape does NOT change.
But the appearance of the
moon does.
These changes in appearance are
known as moon phases.
You know that sunlight reflects
from the moon to Earth.
Yet the sun lights only half of the
moon at any given time.
The motions of Earth and the
motions of the moon are responsible
for the moon phases you see.
As the moon revolves around the Earth,
the amount of the lit part that we
see from Earth changes. These different
amounts of the moon’s lighted side are
the different phases of the moon.
Each phase of the moon has a different
shape. It takes about 1 month for
the moon to complete all of its phases.
This cycle repeats over and over again
and again.
The lit portion grows larger until
we see a full moon. This happens
when Earth is between the moon
and the sun.
As the moon continues in its orbit,
we see less and less of its lit
portion. When it is half lit again,
it is a third quarter moon.
For thousands of years, people used
the phases of the moon to make
calendars and track time.
Earth’s orbit around the sun also
has been used to make calendars
and track time.
These are called solar calendars.
Our modern calendar is based on
Earth’s orbit around the sun.
Each month is based roughly on the
moon’s phases. Once in a while,
there are two full moons in
one month.
This is called a “ blue moon.”
The Aztec calendar is based on
Earth’s orbit around the sun.
Each part of the calendar has
colorful animals or symbols.
These symbols marked important
times of the year, such as
when to plant crops.
People have always looked up at
the night sky. Early people built
monuments based on what they
saw in the sky. When writing was
developed, people began to
record their observations.
Early Aztec and Egyptian astronomers
were limited to observing space
with just their eyes.
They observed several planets
using just their eyes.
Early astronomers also believed that
Earth was the center of the
universe.
In the 1600’s the telescope
was invented.
A telescope is a tool that uses
lenses to make faraway objects
appear closer and larger.
Galileo was one of the first
astronomers to study space by
using a telescope.
The telescope led to many new
observations about space.
Galileo observed four of Jupiter’s
moons by using the telescope.
By the early 1600s, astronomers
knew that the Earth revolved
around the sun.
However, they still believed that
the sun was the center of
the universe.
EXPLORATION
Space probes are vehicles that move
through space, but are controlled
from Earth.
Observatories have been built all
over the world to observe
distant stars.
The launch of Sputnik was the
beginning of the Space Age.
The Gemini 7 space capsule took
two astronauts on a 14-day orbit
around Earth.
size of a
beach ball
“That’s one small step for man, and
one giant leap for mankind.”
Neil Armstrong spoke those words
from the moon’s surface in July
of 1969. He was the first person
ever to set foot on the moon.
Astronauts have lived on the
International Space Station.
The International Space Station is a giant
space lab that orbits Earth.
Astronauts orbited Earth in the Space
Shuttle, too.
The Hubble Space Telescope is another
example of technology in space.
The Hubble
Space
Telescope
takes pictures
of faraway
galaxies.
Florida has had a major role
in the exploration of space.
The space age began in Florida in
the early 1960s. Florida’s space
center was called Cape Canaveral.
Each of the moon missions launched
from Florida’s east coast.
NASA renamed the space center in
honor of Presidents John F. Kennedy
in 1963.
The space race has affected the economy
and the culture of Florida.
Many people work at the
Kennedy Space Center.
Engineers design and build rockets.
Scientists study data.
Astronauts train for space flight.
Tourists visit the Kennedy Space Center
to see and experience the wonders
of space.
Our lives are different today
because of space exploration.
Many things that were invented to
benefit the astronauts and the
space program have directly
impacted our lives.
Satellites relay TV and phone signals
across the world.
Communication is now world wide.
Benefits from space technology are
called “spin-offs.”
Scientists developed
cordless power tools.
They also
invented
Teflon.
Non stick.
Coolers are based
on a space cooling system.
They also invented freeze-dried
foods.
Astronauts needed boots to
walk and jump on the moon.
Today’s athletic shoes are
based on moon boots.
Race car
drivers’ suits
are spin-offs
of space suits.
Show What You Know
1. A person who studies space is an ________________.
2. Name of an early astronomer is __________________.
3. A cordless power tool is an example of ___________.
4. ___________________ was the first satellite in space.
5. The _______ is a large telescope that orbits in space.
6. A ____________ is a vehicle that moves through space
but is controlled from Earth.
7. A tool that is used to make objects appear larger is
called a _______________________.
8. ____________________ is the space center in Florida.