The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Earth Science - Middle School
The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Multimedia Lesson
Our Solar System
Multimedia Lesson
How the Earth Moves
Presentation
Seasons on Earth
Presentation
Gravity and Motion
Presentation
Earth's Moon
Presentation
Phases, Eclipses and Tides
Presentation
Missions to the Moon
Presentation
Moon Phases, Eclipses and Tides
Virtual Lab
Moon Phases
Interactive
The Sun
Interactive
Gravity and Orbits
Interactive
The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Study Guide
The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Quiz
The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Quiz
The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Flash Cards
The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Flash Cards
The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Worksheet
The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Worksheet
The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Game
The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Game
The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Vocabulary List
The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Vocabulary List
How the Earth Moves
Flip Chart
Earth’s Hemispheres
Flip Chart
Seasons on Earth
Flip Chart
Gravity and Motion
Flip Chart
Earth’s Moon
Flip Chart
Phases of the Moon
Flip Chart
Eclipses
Flip Chart
Tides
Flip Chart
Missions to the Moon
Flip Chart
Sun-Earth-Moon System Vocabulary Review
Flip Chart
Study Guide The Sun-Earth-Moon System
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THE SUN-EARTH-MOON SYSTEM How the Earth Moves The Earth is simultaneously spinning on its axis (rotation) and revolving around the sun. As viewed from space, the Earth rotates counter-clockwise. This is called prograde rotation. Planets that spin clockwise are said to have retrograde rotation (Venus has retrograde rotation). The period of rotation, that is the amount of time it takes for the Earth to rotate once, can be defined based on a number of perspectives. With respect to the sun, a “day” is 24 hours (scientifically referred to as the mean solar day). With respect to the stars (referred to as a stellar day) a “day” is 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.099 seconds. The Earth rotates at slightly more than 1,000 miles per hour. The period of revolution (the amount of time it takes for a body to revolve around the sun once) is 365 ¼ days. Gravity pulls the Earth toward the sun. But it does not fall into the sun because it also has forward motion. The Earth is moving in a straight path, as if it were trying to pass the sun. But the gravitational pull of the sun tries to pull the Earth toward the sun. The combination of these two forces results in the Earth orbiting or revolving around the sun. This is the same reason that the moon orbits the Earth. The Earth revolves around the sun at a velocity of 67,000 miles per hour. Seasons on Earth The tilt of the Earth on its axis means either the Northern or Southern hemisphere is, to one degree or another, pointed toward or away from the sun as the Earth revolves around the sun. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for the purchaser to print copies for non-commercial educational purposes only. Visit us at www.NewPathLearning.com.
As the Earth revolves around the sun, the degree to which various points on the globe are pointing toward or away from the sun determines the seasons at those points. One key factor affecting climate is latitude. Because the Earth is a globe, the sun’s rays hit the equator more directly than they do the poles. This means the sun’s radiation is more concentrated near the equator and the same energy is more spread out nearer the poles. As a result, equatorial regions have high temperatures and the same amount of sunlight, with little variation, throughout the year. Even though the Earth is tilted on its axis as it revolves around the sun, the equator essentially faces the sun directly throughout the year. Therefore, seasons in equatorial regions do not change. Polar regions, by comparison, have low temperatures and 6 months of sunlight alternating with 6 months of dark (“Land of the Midnight Sun”). Seasons north and south of the equator are opposite of one another. When it is Winter in the Northern hemisphere, it is Summer in the Southern hemisphere. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for the purchaser to print copies for non-commercial educational purposes only. Visit us at www.NewPathLearning.com.
The Earth’s Moon The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite. Because it is smaller than the Earth and of a different overall composition (the moon is a solid ball of basaltic rock covered with broken basaltic rocks and dust) its gravitational pull is only about 1/6th that of the Earth’s. The rocks on the surface of the moon have not changed since they first formed. The Moon’s diameter is 3,474 km. Moon rock: basalt The moon makes one complete revolution around the Earth every 27.3 days. It is the fifth-largest known moon in our solar system. The volume of the Moon is about 1/50th that of the Earth. Unlike the Earth, the Moon is not tectonically active. This is evidenced by the fact that there are no metamorphic rocks on the moon. Its surface is covered with pockmarks created by the impact of meteorites. Meteor impacts are the only forces that change the Moon’s surface. Because it has no atmosphere, the Moon does not have wind (the American flag planted on the Moon by the astronauts appeared to be flapping in the breeze because it had wires in it to make it look that way!) The Moon is in what scientists call synchronous rotation. This means that the same side of the moon faces the Earth at all times. Humans did not see the “dark side of the moon” until the space flights of the 1960’s and 1970’s. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for the purchaser to print copies for non-commercial educational purposes only. Visit us at www.NewPathLearning.com.
The current and most widely accepted theory explaining the origins of the moon is that a planet-sized object collided with the forming Earth and threw out a large chunk of Earth’s rock material. This theory is based on information gathered from lunar rock samples that are of the same basaltic composition as basalt from the mantle of the Earth. Age studies of lunar rocks have revealed that the moon, and therefore presumably the Earth as well, is 4.6 billion years old. The Moon’s Phases, Eclipses and Effects on the Earth The revolution of the moon around the Earth makes it appear to look different to us throughout the month. At times we see the entire moon and at others, only a portion of it, with the rest being in shadow. The different appearances of the moon throughout the month are known as the moon’s phases. When the portion of the moon that is lit by sunlight is getting larger, the moon is said to be waxing. When that portion is getting smaller, it is said to be waning. When one celestial body comes between the sun and a second celestial body, a shadow, called an eclipse, is cast on that second body. For example, when the moon comes between the sun and the Earth, a shadow is cast on the Earth. This phenomenon is called a solar eclipse. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the sun and the moon. A lunar eclipse completely darkens the moon. By comparison, a solar eclipse darkens only a small region on Earth. This is because the moon is a smaller body, and so the shadow it casts on the Earth affects only a small region. The shadow cast by the much larger Earth completely darkens the moon. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for the purchaser to print copies for non-commercial educational purposes only. Visit us at www.NewPathLearning.com.
One might expect that if the Moon is between the Earth and the sun that there would be a lunar eclipse every day. This does not happen because the moon’s orbit around Earth is actually tilted by a little more than 5 degrees. Therefore, the moon is out of the Earth’s shadow for most full and new moons. The gravitational pull of the Moon on the Earth creates bulges in the Earth. The most dramatic of these is the change of the level of the oceans. The gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans is the most significant force responsible for high tides. (The sun’s gravitational pull, however, also contributes to tidal swells.) When ocean water is pulled by the moon’s gravitational force to create high tides in one area, water leaves other areas at the edges of the oceans. These are low tides. When the sun, Earth and moon all line up with each other, the gravitational pull on the oceans is at its maximum, and the tidal range (the water level distance between high and low tides) is at its highest. These unusually high tides are known as spring tides. A neap tide is a high tide that occurs when the sun and the Moon are at 90 degrees to one another. In this configuration, their gravitational pull on the oceans counteracts each other to a degree. The result is a high tide that is lower than a spring tide. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for the purchaser to print copies for non-commercial educational purposes only. Visit us at www.NewPathLearning.com.
Missions to the Moon President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on July 29, 1958, much in response to the fact that the Soviet Union had placed a satellite in orbit around the Earth. On May 25, 1961 President John F. Kennedy challenged the United States to land a man on the moon and return him safely to the Earth by the end of the decade. Under this mandate, NASA aggressively developed the United States’ space program. A series of space flight programs, beginning with the Mercury missions, determined first that a human could survive in space. Step by step technology was developed to launch a crew to the moon, land a man on the moon, and then return the crew safely to Earth. In this “race to the moon” John Glenn (pictured here) became the first American to orbit the Earth in space. The first human to step foot on the moon was Neil Armstrong. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin was the second man to step onto the moon. Yuri Gagarin was the first human in space; he was from the Soviet Union. The Apollo missions were the series of space flights that ultimately landed Americans on the Moon. The moon landings continued into the early 1970’s. Interest in traveling to the moon continues even today. China is presently developing its own technology to land astronauts on the moon. In September 2005, NASA unveiled a $100 billion plan to put humans on the moon by 2018. Funding for the plan will have to be approved by Congress before the dream becomes reality. The purposes of such an energetic mission include the hope to be able to regularly send crews to the moon for a week at a time. With this, a plan to research and potentially use lunar resources like water and minerals to sustain life on the moon would make a permanent moon base more realistic. Should it be possible to establish a base on the Moon for ongoing research and activity, it is thought that this could be a platform from which further space exploration can happen, such as manned trips to Mars. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted for the purchaser to print copies for non-commercial educational purposes only. Visit us at www.NewPathLearning.com.
Table Of Contents: The Sun-Earth-Moon System
1. How the Earth Moves
2.1. Earth's Rotation
The spinning of the Earth on its axis is known as rotation. As viewed from space, the Earth rotates in a counterclockwise direction called prograde rotation. Venus and Uranus spin in a clockwise direction called retrograde rotation.
2.2. Rotation Causes Day and Night
As the Earth rotates east, the Sun appears to move toward the west. We experience a period of daylight when the Earth is facing the Sun and a period of darkness when the Earth is facing away from the Sun.
2.3. Earth's Period of Rotation
The Earth rotates at 1,670 kilometers per hour. The amount of time it takes for the Earth to rotate once is known as its period of rotation, or what we call a day. Earth's period of rotation is 24 hours.
2.4. Earth's Revolution
As the Earth spins on its axis, it also revolves around the Sun. It moves on an elliptical orbit path at a speed of 107,000 kilometers per hour. The amount of time it takes for the Earth to revolve one time around the Sun is its period of revolution, or what we call a year. Earth's period of revolution is 365.25 days.
2. Seasons on Earth
3.1. Earth's Tilt Causes Seasons
As the Earth revolves around the Sun, the planet tilts 23.5 degrees on its axis of rotation. The degree to which various points on the globe are pointing toward or away from the Sun determines the seasons. The Northern and Southern hemispheres experience opposite seasons throughout the year.
3.2. Latitude and the Sun's Rays
Latitude is a key factor affecting the climate in a particular location on Earth. Because the Earth is a globe, the Sun's rays hit more directly at the equator than near the poles. This means the Sun's energy is more concentrated near the equator and more spread out near the poles. Average temperatures become cooler moving from the equator to higher latitudes.
3.3. Solstice
In the Northern hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs on June 21 when the Sun's rays are directly hitting the Tropic of Cancer, 23.5 degrees north of the equator. Six months later, the winter solstice occurs on December 21 when the most direct sunlight hits the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern hemisphere.
3.4. Equinox
March 20 and September 22 are the equinox dates when the Sun's rays are directly hitting the Earth's equator. Neither hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the Sun. All locations on Earth experience approximately equal hours of day and night on these days.
3.5. Seasons in Tropical Regions
Throughout the year, the tropical regions near the Earth's equator receive fairly direct sunlight. These regions experience little variation in daylight hours and temperature. There is little or no change in seasons in the tropics.
3.6. Seasons in Temperate Regions
Regions located in the temperate zone latitudes experience four distinct seasons during the Earth's yearly cycle. Summer temperatures are warm because the Earth is tilted toward the Sun and there are more daylight hours. Winter temperatures are cold because the Earth is tilted away from the Sun and there are fewer daylight hours.
3.7. Seasons in Polar Regions
The Sun's rays hit the Earth's polar regions at very slanted angles. These regions have year-round cold temperatures and do not experience four distinct seasons. Instead, these areas have six months of daylight when the Earth's pole is tilted toward the Sun, followed by six months of darkness when the pole is tilted away from the Sun.
3. Pause and Interact
4.1. Review
Use the whiteboard tools to complete the activity.
4. Gravity and Motion
5.1. Strength of Gravity
The law of gravity states that every object in the universe attracts every other object. The strength of gravity increases as mass increases. The strength of gravity decreases as distance increases. Both the Earth and Moon exert gravitational pulls on each other.
5.2. Gravity of the Earth and Moon
The Earth has a greater gravitational pull on objects because it has a larger mass than the Moon. Earth's gravitational pull is about six times greater than the Moon's gravitational pull. On the Moon, you would weigh about one-sixth of your weight on Earth.
5.3. Earth and Moon Have Inertia
Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist change once it is in motion. An object will stay in motion at a constant speed and direction, unless it is acted on by another force. The Moon and the Earth are in constant motion as they rotate on their axes, and therefore they have inertia.
5.4. Gravity, Inertia and Orbit
The combination of gravity and inertia keeps the Moon moving in orbit around the Earth. If there were no gravitational pull on the Moon, it would move in a straight line away from the Earth into space. If the Moon did not have inertia, then it would be pulled by Earth's gravity and crash into Earth. The same forces keep the Earth in orbit around the Sun.
5. Earth's Moon
6.1. Theory of Moon's Origin
Scientists theorize that the Moon was formed billions of years ago when a planet-sized object collided with the newly forming Earth. A large piece of Earth's mantle and debris material was blasted into space. Over millions of years the molten material accumulated and crystallized to form the lunar crust.
6.2. Synchronous Rotation
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite, making one complete revolution every 27.3 days. The Moon's rotation and revolution periods are the same, which is called synchronous rotation. This means that the same side of the Moon faces the Earth at all times. Humans did not see the dark or far side of the Moon until the space flights of the 1960s and 1970s.
6.3. Moon Composition and Surface
The Moon is composed of a solid ball of basalt covered by rocks and dust. Since the Moon's formation billions of years ago, the surface has been struck by asteroids, meteoroids and comets. These impacts have created dust, rocks, boulders and basins. There is no tectonic activity on the Moon, so the rock composition has remained unchanged since its formation.
6.4. Moon Facts
The Moon is the fifth largest known moon in the solar system. Its diameter is 3,474 km. The Moon's volume is about 1/50th that of the Earth. Its gravitational pull is about 1/6th that of the Earth.
6. Pause and Interact
7.1. Review
Use the whiteboard tools to complete the activity.
7. Phases, Eclipses and Tides
8.1. Cause of phases, eclipses and tides
The Moon is in motion as it rotates on its axis and revolves around the Earth. The changing relative positions of the Sun, Earth and Moon cause moon phases, eclipses and tides.
8.2. What are moon phases?
The changing appearances of the Moon as it makes one complete revolution around the Earth are known as moon phases. The positions of the Sun, Earth and Moon determine the portion of the Moon that is lit by sunlight. Sometimes the entire face of the Moon is lit, and at other times only part of the Moon is lit and the rest is in shadow.
8.3. Moon Phases
A new moon occurs when the sunlit portion of the Moon is facing away from the Earth. The Moon is waxing when the sunlit portion is getting larger. A full moon is seen when the side of the Moon facing the Earth is entirely sunlit. The Moon is waning when the lit portion is getting smaller. Crescent and gibbous are shapes of the Moon that we see during a month.
8.4. What is an Eclipse?
When one celestial body comes between the Sun and another celestial body, a shadow is cast on the second celestial body. This phenomenon is called an eclipse. When the Moon's shadow hits the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs. When the Earth's shadow hits the Moon, a lunar eclipse occurs.
8.5. Solar Eclipse
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, and sunlight is blocked from hitting the Earth. A total solar eclipse will only occur during a new moon. The sky turns dark and the temperature drops during the eclipse. The Sun's outer atmosphere called the corona also becomes visible.
8.6. The Moon's Umbra and Penumbra
During a solar eclipse, the Moon will cast the darkest part of its shadow, called it's umbra, on a small portion of the Earth. Only these locations will experience a total solar eclipse. Other locations within the Moon's penumbra, a wider shadow, will experience a partial solar eclipse.
8.7. Lunar Eclipse
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, and sunlight is blocked from hitting the Moon. A total lunar eclipse only occurs when the Moon is full. The entire Moon falls within the Earth's dark shadow, or umbra. The completely darkened Moon can be seen at all locations on Earth where the Moon is visible.
8.8. Moon's Orbit is Tilted
One might expect that lunar and solar eclipses would occur every month as the Moon orbits the Earth. This does not happen because the Moon's orbit is actually tilted by a little more than five degrees relative to the Earth's orbit around the Sun. It is rare that the Moon is in the Earth's shadow during a full moon or between the Earth and Sun during a new moon.
8.9. What Causes Ocean Tides?
Changing water levels of the oceans are known as tides. Both the Sun and Moon influence tides. The gravitational pull of the Moon creates bulges in the Earth that impact the timing and height of tides. When ocean water is pulled by the Moon's gravitational force to create high tides in one area, water leaves other areas and creates low tides.
8.10. Spring Tides
When the Sun, Earth and Moon line up with each other, the gravitational pull on the oceans is at its maximum. This alignment causes unusually high tides called spring tides. These tides occur twice a month during the new moon and the full moon.
8.11. Neap Tides
When the Sun and Moon are at 90 degrees to one another, the total gravitational pull on the oceans is at its minimum, and the high tide is called a neap tide. These tides have the least difference between consecutive high and low tides. Neap tides occur twice a month during the first and third quarter moon phases.
8. Pause and Interact
9.1. Review
Use the whiteboard tools to complete the activity.
9.2. Moon Phases
Follow the onscreen instructions.
9. Missions to the Moon
10.1. NASA and the First Man on the Moon
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established in 1958. Neil Armstrong was the first human to step on the Moon when the Apollo 11 landed on the Moon's surface in 1969.
10.2. Apollo Missions
The Apollo missions from 1969 through 1972 were a series of space flights that landed many Americans on the Moon. During these missions, the Moon's surface was studied using a Lunar Roving Vehicle. Hundreds of kilograms of rock and soil samples were collected for further study.
10.3. Current Moon Exploration
NASA anticipates sending humans back to the Moon in the near future. Current lunar research focuses on determining the feasibility of a permanent moon base to be used for further space exploration and research. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2009, is collecting highly detailed information about the lunar environment.
10. Vocabulary Review
11.1. Vocabulary Matching Review
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was established in 1958. Neil Armstrong was the first human to step on the Moon when the Apollo 11 landed on the Moon's surface in 1969.
11. Virtual Investigation
12.1. Moon Phases, Eclipses and Tides
The changing relative positions of the Sun, Earth and Moon cause the moon phases, eclipses and tides. In this virtual investigation you will move the Moon to its correct orbit position relative to the Earth and Sun as you review the different moon phases, eclipses and tides. You will also identify images that match each of these phenomena.
12. Assessment
13.1. The Sun-Earth-Moon System
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