Solar System Lesson Day 6

Solar System

Rotation vs Revolution

• Rotation = spinningaround

an axis

• Earth’s rotation is 1 day or

24 hours

• Revolution = orbitingor

traveling in a path around
another object

• Earth’s revolution around

the sun is 1 year or 365 days

• Moon’s revolution around

Earth is 1 month or 28 days

Turn and Talk

• What is the difference between an object spinning and orbiting?

• Using your understanding of rotation and revolution, complete the table below.

Term

Causes

Length

Earth spinning

Earth circling
or orbiting

​Now, let's show rotation and revolution!!!

Rotation

• Rotation causes day and night

• When Earth faces the sun = day

• When Earth faces away from the sun = night

• If Earth were not tilted, there would be 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night every 24 hours

Turn and Talk

• Using your hands, model the movements of rotation and revolution.

• What are the effects of rotation and revolution? How long does each last?

Apparent Movement

Sunrise

Sun in the east
Long shadows

• The sun appearsto move across Earth’s sky
• It does not; Earth spins or rotates
• When Earth blocks the sun’s rays, shadows are formed
• Shadows are always in the opposite direction of the sun

Sunset

Sun in the west
Long shadows

Noon

Sun is overhead
Shortest shadows

Turn and Talk

Look at the diagram.
• Approximately what time is it?
• Where would the shadow be?
• Where would the sun be if it were noon?
• Where would the sun be in the early morning?

Revolution

• One complete revolution around

the sun is one Earth year or 365
days

• Because Earth is tilted, Earth

experiences a change in seasons
as it orbits around the sun

• In the Northern Hemisphere, days

are longer in the summer

• In the Northern Hemisphere, days

are shorter during the winter

Turn and Talk

• Seasons are determined by the number of daylight hours in a twenty-four-hour day. What causes Earth’s seasons?

• Which season do you predict would have the following number of daylight hours in Texas?
– 10 hours of daylight
– 14 hours of daylight
– 12 hours of daylight

• The moon looks different when looking up at the night sky because it is constantly moving in
relation to Earth and the sun

• Waxing means the moon looks like it is getting brighter/bigger

• Waning means the moon looks like it is getting smaller/

• The moon’s orbit, or lunar cycle, repeats every 28 days

Moon’s Orbit

Turn and Talk

If a full moon can be
seen on April 5, 2023,
when would one expect
to see the next full
moon?

Sun

Earth

Moon

Sphere of gases

Source of light and
thermal energy

Center of solar system

No landforms

No life, no water

Characteristics of the Sun, Earth, and Moon

Sphere of rock

Sphere of rock

3rd planet from the sun

1 year to revolve around the sun

Landforms - mountains,
craters from meteors

Life, water, atmosphere

Gets light and heat from sun

28 days to revolve around Earth

No life, no atmosphere

Reflects the sun’s light

Satellite of Earth

Landforms - mountains,
craters from meteors

Star in this solar system

Turn and Talk

• How are Earth and the moon alike? How are they different?

My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

Outer Planets

The Solar System

Asteroid belt

Inner Planets

Turn and Talk

• From the asteroid belt, name the planets in order to the edge of our solar system.