Introduction to Solar System

1. Exploring Earth Science The Earth and Moon Mrs. Graziano’s Science Class Rules!

2. Do you know what a solar system is? Do you know what is in our solar system ?

3. Our solar system is made up of an enormous sun and everything that travels around it.

4. We live on one of the nine planets in our system. Other small bodies called asteroids and comets can be found in our system also.

5. If we were to put the planets in order , from the one closest to the sun, they would be Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

6. Earth is the third planet. We call Earth our ‘ home planet .’ It is the shape of a sphere.

7. It has oceans full of water, green forests, animals, plants, and breathable air. It is a unique planet. From space, the Earth looks like a beautiful blue-green marble, with white swirling clouds.

9. What causes daytime and night time on the Earth? What causes the changing of our seasons?

10. The Earth whizzes along spinning in space at 67,000 miles an hour. We can’t feel it spinning. Yet is makes one complete turn every 24 hours.

11. This spinning around like a top is called rotation . As it spins only one side faces the sun. Day begins when our part of the world turns to face the sun.

12. Night falls when our part of the Earth turns away from the sun. The side facing away from the sun has nighttime.

13. This rotation or spinning of Earth causes day and night. The Earth rotates on its axis. The axis is an imaginary line through its center. It rotates once every 24 hours causing day and night . www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/activities/radiobuttonquiz/Earthpz.shtml

14. Every year the Earth travels around the sun. The Earth and the moon travel together in an orbit around the sun once a year.

19. In 1969, the first man stepped onto the moon. There is no wind or rain on the moon to wash the footprints away . http :/

22. We see the moon because the sun shines on it. The sunlight bounces off the moon and down toward the Earth. We see reflected sunlight.

30. Continue to explore Earth Science. Share with others what you have learned. Have fun!