Download The Moon

The Moon & Earth’s Tilt
What is the Moon?
• A large rock that orbits
a planet
• The Earth has 1 moon
• Moons orbit planets
• Planets orbit the sun
Moon Facts
• The moon is 240,000
miles from Planet Earth.
• The moon rotates
counterclockwise.
• There are holes on the
moon’s surface called
craters.
• The moon gets its light
from the reflection of
the sun.
The Sun, Earth, & Moon
Animation of Earth, Moon, & Sun
• Animated Movement of the Moon, Earth, &
Sun
Why doesn’t the moon look the same?
• As the moon orbits
around the earth, the
light from the sun
shines on it.
• From earth, we can only
see certain portions of
the lit moon.
• It takes 1 month,
approx. 29 days, for the
moon to completely
orbit the Earth.
Animation of the Moon Phases
• Moon Phase Animation
• Throughout a month, the moon’s position
changes & we can only see some parts of the
illuminated moon.
The Moon Causes Tides
• Tides are caused by the
gravitational pull of the
moon.
• There are two types of
tides: High & Low
• High tide occurs twice a
day.
Tide Images
• High Tide
• Low Tide
Diagram of the Moon Phases
The sun is always
shining on the
moon.
From earth we can
only see certain
parts of the moon
that are lit by the
sun.
Diagram of the Moon Phases
NEW MOON
The moon is lit by the sun. However, the lit side of the moon cannot
be seen from Earth. The moon appears black during the NEW MOON
PHASE.
Diagram of the Moon Phases
The moon is lit by the sun. We can only see a small portion of the lit
moon from Earth. It is called a WAXING CRESCENT.
WAXING
CRESCENT
Diagram of the Moon Phases
The moon is lit by the sun. We can see half of the lit moon from Earth.
It is called a WAXING HALF MOON or a FIRST QUARTER MOON.
WAXING
HALF MOON
(1ST QUARTER)
Diagram of the Moon Phases
The moon is lit by the sun. We can see a lot of the lit moon from Earth.
It is called a WAXING GIBBOUS.
WAXING
GIBBOUS
Diagram of the Moon Phases
The moon is lit by the sun. We can see the entire lit moon from Earth.
This is the FULL MOON phase.
FULL MOON
Diagram of the Moon Phases
The moon is lit by the sun. We can see a lot of the lit moon from Earth.
This phase is called the WANING GIBBOUS.
WANING
GIBBOUS
Diagram of the Moon Phases
WANING HALF MOON
(LAST QUARTER)
The moon is lit by the sun. We can see half of the lit moon from Earth.
This is known as the WANING HALF MOON or LAST QUARTER.
Diagram of the Moon Phases
WANING
CRESCENT
The moon is lit by the sun. We can only see a small portion of the lit
moon from Earth. This is called the WANING CRESCENT.
The Phases Build Upon One Another:
Let’s look at the phases all together:
Earth’s Tilt
Day & Night
What is tilting?
• The earth is tilted on its axis 23.5
degrees.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/solars
ystem/images/earth_tilt.jpg
How does the earth move?
• Rotation – one complete turn on
earth’s axis.
– Takes approximately 24 hours to make
one turn. (1 day)
• Revolution – one complete orbit of
the earth around the sun.
– Takes approximately 365 ¼ days. (1 year)
• So why do we have leap year?
What causes day & night?
• As earth rotates on its axis, it turns
towards and away from the sun.
• DAY TIME is when your half of the
earth is facing the sun.
• NIGHTIME is when your half of the
earth is turned away from the sun.
Seasons
Why are there seasons?
• It takes Earth 1 year to orbit around the sun.
• As Earth orbits, it is tilted at different angles
towards/away from the sun.
• Summer is warmer than winter (in each
hemisphere) because the Sun's rays hit the
Earth at a more direct angle during summer
than during winter
Equinox
•
•
•
•
“equal night”
Sunlight hits the earth most directly at the equator.
Day & night lasts 12 hours at all latitudes.
Spring & Fall
Solstice
• A Solstice occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the
Earth's axis is tilted directly towards or away from
the Sun, causing the Sun to appear to reach its
northernmost and southernmost extremes.
• Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year. In the
Northern Hemisphere. It occurs on December 21 and
marks the beginning of winter.
• The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year. It
occurs on June 21 and marks the beginning of
summer.
A Year of Seasons