SpaceSpace

The Earth, Sun and Moon

What do we know?What do we know?

• Draw a picture of the Earth, Sun and Moon as seen by a traveller in space.

• Think about size, shape, colour, position.

What do we know about Earth?What do we know about Earth?

• Is the Earth flat?

For centuries, people assumed the Earth was flat……it looks flat………

It was the Ancient Greeks who first started asking questions. They noticed that ships crossing the horizon at sea appeared to dip out of sight. Could the Earth be round?

It is only in the last 40 years that we have had photographic evidence from Space to prove that the Earth is spherical.

What do we know about the Sun?What do we know about the Sun?

• Is the Sun a planet? What is it?

• Does the Sun move?

• Is the Sun bigger than the Earth and Moon?

The Sun is a star.

The Sun does not move around the planets. The Sun stays in one place. The planets move around the Sun.

The Sun is over 1,000,000 times larger than the Earth click for more information

The SunThe Sun

The Sun is the most prominent feature in our solar system. It is the largest object and contains approximately 98% of the total solar system mass. One hundred and nine Earths would be required to fit across the Sun's disk, and its interior could hold over 1.3 million Earths. The Sun's outer visible layer is called the photosphere and has a temperature of 6,000°C. This layer has a mottled appearance due to the turbulent eruptions of energy at the surface. Solar energy is created deep within the core of the Sun. It is here that the temperature (15,000,000° C) and pressure (340 billion times Earth's air pressure at sea level) is so intense that nuclear reactions take place.

What do we know about the Moon?What do we know about the Moon?

• Is the Moon a planet?

• How does the Moon move?

• The Moon is simply a moon!

• Moons move around planets.

The Solar SystemThe Solar System

• What other planets are in our Solar System other than Earth?

• Write a mnemonic to help you remember the order.

Our Solar SystemOur Solar System

My Very Easy Method, Just Set Up Nine Planets!

Size and Distance in Space

• In groups create a ‘to scale’ model of the distances between Sun and planets on the field.

• Use the measurements provided to draw the objects to scale and measure the distances to scale.

The planets of our Solar System.The planets of our Solar System.

• Next week we are going on a journey into space to visit each of the nine planets and discover more about our Solar System.

• Do you know any fascinating facts? Bring them to share with us next week.