6 - Unit 5, Section 1

Earth's Place in Space

Unit 5, Section 1

• Rotation

• Orbit

• Revolution

• Eclipse

Vocabulary

The Solar System and Capitalization

Earth. Not "the Earth". Just "Earth".

The Moon. There are many moons. "The Moon" is ours.
Example: "Saturn has many moons, many of which are larger than the Moon."

The Sun. Only when talking about our sun. Not other suns in other solar systems.
Example: "The Sun is just one of many suns in the Milky Way."

• Rotation - the spinning of Earth on its axis

• Earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours (24.00000067 hours, to be exact)

• The Sun has apparent motion across the sky

  • But is it really moving, relative to us?

Earth's Rotation

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• Revolution - the movement of Earth around the Sun

• Earth revolves around the Sun in a regular, curved path every 365.25 days

• It's not a perfect circle, but an ellipse

• Orbit - the path Earth takes as it revolves around the Sun

Earth's Revolution

Multiple Select

(CHOOSE BOTH CORRECT ANSWERS) Because Earth's axis is tilted, the Northern Hemisphere is closer to the Sun than the Southern Hemisphere for half of the year. Wha seasons occur in the Northern Hemisphere during this time?

• Spring

• Summer

• Autumn

• Winter

• Earth's axis is tilted by 23.5°, relative to its orbit

• That tilt is the reason Earth has seasons

• Most of the time, either the Northern or Southern hemisphere is closer to the Sun

Rotation, Orbit, and Seasons

• The Moon revolves around Earth similar to how Earth revolves around the Sun

• It takes 27.3 days top complete one revolution

• Does the Moon always look the same in the night sky?

• No, it has phases

The Moon

The Moon has different phases that depend on its position, relative to Earth and the Sun

Phases of The Moon

Multiple Choice

The moon is either waxing or waning __________ when it forms a 45° angle with Earth and the Sun.

• Crescent

• Gibbous

• Quarter

• Full

Multiple Choice

The moon is either waxing or waning __________ when it forms a 135° angle with Earth and the Sun.

• Crescent

• Gibbous

• Quarter

• Full

Eclipses

• Eclipse - where one celestial (outer space) body blocks light from reaching another

• There are two types of eclipses that involve Earth:

  • Solar Eclipse - the Moon blocks sunlight from reaching part of Earth

  • Lunar Eclipse - Earth partially, or totally, blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon
    

Open Ended

Why do you think the Moon can block sunlight from reaching a part of Earth, while Earth can block sunlight from reaching all of the Moon?

• Since the Moon is much smaller than the Sun, it only casts a small shadow on Earth during a solar eclipse

• Partial Solar Eclipse - only a part of the sunlight is blocked

• Total Solar Eclipse - all of the sunlight is blocked

Solar Eclipse

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​Total Solar Eclipse - April 8, 2024

• Since the Moon is much smaller than Earth, Earth can completely block sunlight from reaching the Moon during a lunar eclipse

• More people (half the planet!) can see a full lunar eclipse

• Sometimes, the Moon turns deep red ( a blood moon)

Lunar Eclipse