Astronomy

Seasons

State Standards• 2.1.a Describe the yearly revolution

(orbit) of Earth around the sun.• 2.1.b Explain that Earth’s axis is tilted

relative to its yearly orbit around the sun.• 2.1.c Investigate the relationship

between the amount of heat absorbed and the angle to the light

• source.

State Standards• 2.2.a Compare Earth’s position in relationship to

the sun during each season.• 2.2.b Compare the hours of daylight and illustrate

the angle that the sun’s rays strikes the surface of Earth during summer, fall, winter, and spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

• 2.2.c Use collected data to compare patterns relating to seasonal daylight changes.

• 2.2.d Use a drawing and/or model to explain that changes in the angle at which light from the sun strikes Earth, and the length of daylight, determine seasonal differences in the amount of energy received.

• 2.2.e Use a model to explain why the seasons are reversed in the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

Objective

Students will explore the four

seasons

Seasons• The Earth revolves around the sun in a path

that repeats itself every year or 365 days. • This path is called an orbit.

Seasons• In the past, some people believed the Earth was

the center of our Solar System instead of the Sun.

• The fact that the Earth orbits or revolves around the sun was proven by Galileo.

Seasons• The Earth has an __________ pole

running through its center called an ____.

• The Earth’s ____ is not ____________________. It is _______ at an angle of _____.

imaginary

axis

axisstraight up and

downtilted23.5°

Seasons• The Reason for the Seasons: • The Earth _________ around the sun in a

path that ________ itself every _____ or __________.

• This path is called an ________. • In the past, some people believed the

_________ was the center of our Solar System instead of the ______. The fact that the Earth ___________ or ________ around the sun was proven by _________.

• The Earth’s orbit is slightly __________ (more _____ than circular.)  

revolvesrepeats

year365 days orbit

Earthsun

revolves

orbitsGalileo

ellipticoval

Seasons• This ____ is what causes the _________. • If the Earth weren’t _______, we would have

no seasons, but the tilt creates ________, __________, _____, and ________.

• MISCONCEPTION!!! Some people think the reasons we have __________ is because the Earth is ________ to the ______. WRONG!!! In fact, the Earth is slighty _______ to the sun in the _______.

tilt seasonstilte

d springsumme

rfall winter

seasonsclose

stsuncloser

winter

Which has NO effect on the

seasons.

Seasons• Example:

• Stand ________ away from a _________. • Take one small step _______. • Will you feel any warmer? ______ • Why? The distance between the

Earth and sun is so ______, a small change _________ affect our warmth. It is the ____!

30 feet

fireplaceclose

r NO!

large does nottilt

Seasons• The Earth

experiences ________ because of two facts:

• 1. Earth _______ around the sun every _____.

• 2. Earth is ______.

• Let’s explore why the tilt is so important… It creates two effects…

seasons

revolves

year

tilted

Seasons• Two Effects: • 1. _________ of __________

• (How long the ______ stays in the _____)

• 2. _______ vs _________ light

• (_______ of the sun above the ________)

Amount

daylight

sun skyDirect

indirect

Angle

horizon

Seasons1. Amount of Daylight: • The ________ of the day changes with each

_______. • Think about it… • When do you watch fireworks in the

summer? ______________

• When do you turn on Christmas lights in winter? __________

lengthseason

After 9 0r 10 pm

After 5 pm

SeasonsStudy the “Sun Rise and Set Table.”

Complete the following:

• The longest day is in the _______________.

• The shortest day is in the _______________.

Date: Sun Rise Time: Sun Set Time: Hoursof Daylight:

March 21 st

June 21 st

September 21 st

December 21 st

6:29 am

6:41 pm

12 hr. 12 min.4:56

am8:03 pm

16 hr. 7 min.

6:14 am

6:26 pm

12 hr. 12 min.7:49 am. 5:03 pm 9 hr. 14 min.

summerwinter

Seasons• Chart the path of the sun for each season

below:

• West – Setting Sun• East – Rising Sun

East – Rising Sun

West – Setting Sun

Summer spring/ winter fall

Seasons

• In the summer, the sun is _______________ and the _____ are _______. This gives the sun ________ of time to ______ the Earth.

• In the winter, the sun is _______________ and the __________ are ________. This gives the sun ______ time to ______ the Earth.

high overheaddays longe

rplenty heatlow overhead

days shorterlittle hea

t

Seasons• Let’s model one revolution of the Earth

around the Sun (one year). Label the seasons, path of the Earth, and our view of the sun.

summer

fall

winter

spring

Seasons

• When the northern hemisphere is tilted _________ the sun in ______, the ______ appears ______ in the sky. The _______ of the sunlight hitting Earth is ______. This means that the northern hemisphere receives ____________ and __________ from the sun.

• When the northern hemisphere is tilted ______ from the sun in ___________, the _____ appears _____ in the sky. The _______ of the sunlight hitting Earth is ____. This means that the northern hemisphere receives _______________ and ___________ from the sun.

toward

June sunhigh angle

highmore energymore

heat awaysunDecembe

rlow anglelow

little energyLittle

heat

Seasons

• When the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun in June, the sun appears high in the sky.

• The angle of the sunlight hitting Earth is high. • This means that the northern hemisphere

receives more energy and more heat from the sun.

Seasons• When the northern hemisphere is tilted away

from the sun in December, the sun appears low in the sky.

• The angle of the sunlight hitting earth is low. • This means that the northern hemisphere

receives little energy and little heat from the sun.

Seasons

• This chart is for Utah and other locations in the Northern Hemisphere. How would it be different for the Southern Hemisphere? ____________________ The Southern Hemisphere would be opposite of the Northern Hemisphere.

Seasons• As the Earth revolves around the Sun, four

important dates occur: • ________________________________________________• _________________________________________________• _________________________________________________• _________________________________________________ 

• Solstice: ___________________________________________• Equinox: ___________________________________________

Summer Solstice = June 21st (longest day of the year)

Spring Equinox = March 21st

Winter Solstice = December 21st (shortest day of the year)

Autumnal Equinox = September21st

Sun standing stillEqual night

Seasons• 2. Direct vs. Indirect Light: • Since the Earth is _______, the

rays from the ____ do not strike the surface the __________.

• Consider the following diagrams, which surface do you think will be the hottest? The coolest? Why?

roundsun

same way

Seasons

A B C

Time of year

Measurements

With a RULER - Draw STRAIGHT lines down from the flashlight edges – Then measure the line that it shines on and record your results.

Seasons Draw the rays of light coming from each flashlight to show the results.

Seasons• Now let’s apply this concept to the curved

surface of the Earth. Fill in the rays of light from the Sun. Which areas are the warmest? Coolest?

Earth

Sun

Seasons• The most __________ ___________ is at the

__________________________. That is why they are always ______.

• The most ________ ___________ is at the __________. That is why it is always _____.

• In this illustration, the Earth’s axis is leaning _________ the Sun, so the most _________ rays are striking the ___________ hemisphere causing it to experience __________.

• The most ___________ rays are striking the ___________ hemisphere causing it to experience _________.

indirect

sunlightNorth and south

poles colddirect

sunlightequato

rhot

toward directnorthern summe

rindirectsouthernwinter

SeasonsCheck for Understanding:

• Explain why we have seasons. _______________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Moon

State Standards• Objective 1.1: Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the

moon as it orbits Earth.• 1.1.a Describe changes in the appearance of the moon during a month.• 1.1.b Identify the pattern of change in the moon’s appearance.• 1.1.c Use observable evidence to explain the movement of the moon

around Earth in relationship to Earth turning on its axis and the position of the moon changing in the sky.

• 1.1.d Design an investigation, construct a chart, and collect data depicting the phases of the moon.

• Objective 1.2: Demonstrate how the relative positions of Earth, the moon, and the sun create the appearance of the moon’s phases.

• 1.2.a Identify the difference between the motion of an object rotating in its axis and an object revolving in orbit.

• 1.2.b Compare how objects in the sky (the moon, planets, stars) change in relative position over the course of the day or night.

• 1.2.c Model the movement and relative positions of Earth, the moon, and the sun.

Objective

Students will describe the phases of the

moon

Phases of the Moon

Think About It: • What does the moon look like? Does

it always look the same? Why do you think the moon’s appearance changes?

• ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phases of the Moon • The ______ is the center of our Solar System.

It gives off ______ and _______, but it does not ______.

• The Earth _________ or _______ around the sun once a _____ (________ _).

• The Earth _________ on its axis once a _____ (___________).

• The moon __________ or _________ around the Earth once a _________ (________).

Sunlight

moverevolves

orbitsyear 365

daysrotates

day24 hours revolve

sorbits

month 28 days

heat

Phases of the Moon

• The moon does not _________ its own _____. It _______ the ______ light.

• In _____, half of the moon is always exposed to ______ and the other half is _____ just like the Earth.

• As the moon ________ around the Earth, it reflects different amounts of sunlight depending on its ________. This is what causes the _______________

produce

lightreflects

Sun’sspace

light dark

revolves

positionphases of the

moon

Moon Phases

The moon passes through four _______ shapes and four ________shapes during a cycle that repeats itself every _____ _______. The phases always follow one another in the _____ ______:

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

major 29.5

days

minor

same orderNew Moon

Waxing CrescentFirst QuarterWaxing GibbousFull

MoonWaning GibbousThird Quarter

Waning Crescent

New Moon• The lighted side of the moon faces _____

from the Earth. This means that the sun, Earth, and moon are in a _______ line, with the moon

• __ ________ the sun and the Earth. The moon as we see it looks very ____.

away

straightIn between

dark

Waxing Crescent Moon• A _______ _______ can

be seen after the new moon, but before the first quarter moon. The crescent will _____ larger and larger every day, until the moon looks like the first quarter moon.

• “Waxing” means _________, or growing larger.

waxing

crescent

grow

increasing

First Quarter Moon• The _____ half of the

moon appears ______ and the ___ side of the moon appears ______. During the time between the new moon and the first quarter moon, the part of the moon that appears lighted gets larger and larger every day, and will continue to _____ until the full moon.

right

lightedleft

dark

grow

Waxing Gibbous Moon• This moon can

be seen _____ the first quarter moon, but ______ the full moon. The amount of the moon that we see will grow larger and larger every day.

after

before

Full Moon

• The lighted side of the moon ______ the _____. This means that the sun, Earth, and moon are in a straight line, with the ________ in the _______. The moon as we see it is very bright from the sunlight reflecting off of it.

facesEarth

middleEarth

Waning Gibbous Moon• This moon can be

seen ____ the full moon, but ______ the last quarter moon. The amount of the moon that we see will grow _______ and smaller every day.

• “Waning” means ________, or growing smaller.

after

before

smaller

decreasing

Third Quarter Moon

• The ____ half of the moon appears _______, and the ______ side of the moon appears ______. During the time between the full moon and the last quarter moon, the part of the moon that appears lighted gets smaller and smaller every day, and will continue to ______ until the new moon, when the cycle starts all over again.

leftlightedrigh

t dark

shrink

Waning Crescent Moon

• This moon can be seen _____ the last quarter moon, and ______ the new moon. The amount of the moon that we see will grow smaller and smaller every day, until the moon looks like the new moon.

after

before

Lunar Eclipse

• A _____ ________ only occurs during a _____ moon, and only when the moon ______ through Earth’s ________.

lunar eclipse fullpasses

shadow

Lunar EclipseAll shadows have ____ parts:• The _______ is the darkest part in the

______, where ___ light rays are _________.• The _________ is a lighter shadow at the

______, where only ______ of the light rays are ________.

two

umbra

centerall blocke

dpenumbraedge

ssomeblocke

d

Lunar Eclipse• A __________ lunar eclipse occurs when the

moon passes through _______ penumbral shadow. The moon looks only ________ different.

• A _______ lunar eclipse occurs when part of the ______ passes through the Earth’s _______ shadow. This type of eclipse is _____ to see.

penumbral Earth’s

slightly

partialmoon umbra

leasy

Lunar Eclipse

• When the _______ moon passes through Earth’s _______, it is called a _______ ______ _________.

• A ______ lunar eclipse is very __________ because light ________ through the Earth’s ____________ onto the _______. The _____ can be ________, _______, ________ or ___.

• A total ______ eclipse starts with a ___________, then a _______ eclipse. After the ______ comes a _________, and then a final ___________ eclipse.

entireumbra total lunareclipse total colorf

ulreflectsatmospher

emoon moon

yellow brown

orange red

lunar

penemubralpartia

ltotal

partial penumbral

Lunar Eclipse• Because the moon’s _____ is

________ angled from the Earth’s ________, the ____ moon only passes through Earth’s shadow about _______ a year.

• Unlike a _______ eclipse, it is _____ to watch a _____ eclipse without special equipment.

orbit

slightlyorbit full

twice

solar

safelunar

Solar Eclipse

Solar Eclipse• When the _______ shadow covers part of the ______• Only happens at ______ moon• Three types: _______, ______, and ______

moon’sEarth

annular

partial totalnew

Down on the Moon • You are a member of an Apollo flight scheduled to land at a lunar base on

the lighted side of the moon. Due to mechanical difficulties, however, you and your partner were forced to land at a spot some 200 miles from the lunar base, while the third member of the crew continued to orbit in the Command Module (Mothership). During the landing, much of the equipment aboard was damaged and since survival depends on reaching the lunar base. The most critical items available must be chosen for the 200 mile trip.

• Listed below are the 15 items left intact and undamaged after landing. Your task it to rank-order the items in terms of importance for your crew in allowing them the reach the lunar base. Place the number 1 by the most important item, the number 2 by the second most important, and so on through number 15, the least important.

• First, complete your list independently. Next, work with your group to create a group ranking. This list may or may not match your own ranking. Once your teacher shares the expert ranking, compute your error to find your final score.

Item Your Ranking Group Ranking Expert Ranking Your Error Group Error

Box of Matches

Food Concentrate

50 feet Nylon Rope

Parachute

Portable Heating Unit

.45 Caliber Pistol

Case of Dehydrated Milk

(2) 100 lb Tanks of Oxygen

Moon Constellation Map

Self Inflating Life Raft

Magnetic Compass

5 Gallons of Water

Self Igniting Signal Flares

First Aid Kit with Hypodermic Needles

Solar Powered FM Transceiver

Total Error:

Scoring:0-26 Excellent 33-45 Average 56-70 Poor26-32 Good 46-55 Fair 701-112 Very Poor

1546

8131112

139

142

107

5

The Universe

First – Our Solar System•Sun: It is a _____undergoing _____________, so it

gives off ______ and _____.•Planets: ______ stars (our Sun), don’t give off ______, may only _______ it.•Satellites (______): orbit _______, don’t give off ______, may only _______ it.•Asteroids: like little ______ planets ________ the Sun.•Meteoroids: clumps of ____ in space, but not necessarily with an _____.•Comets: dirty _________ of ice and dust orbiting the ____.

star nuclear fusionlightheat

orbitlight reflect

moon planetslight reflect

metal orbiting

dirtorbit

snowballsSun

Using AUs :• Scale is the _____ of a _________ to that

same distance in the ____ world.

• Let’s practice!

• Using the scale of 1 AU = 3 cm, create a diagram of our solar system.

• Measure, draw, and color each planet.

• Label the planets and their distance from the sun in kilometers

• Don’t forget the map key!

Second – Stars•They are very ________ to______.•Stars begin as glowing gas ______ known as ________ and most end as _______ surrounded by nebulae.•Red Stars: burn _____ and ____, live _______ of years, and end as heavy little _______.•Yellow Stars: like our ____, live _______ of years, and end as _____________________.•Blue Giant Stars: live _______ of years, explode and end as rapidly spinning _______.

difficult study

nebulaecloudscinders

slow cool trillionscinders

Sun billionsDense white dwarf stars

millionspulsars

Second – Stars•Super Giant Stars: explode and end as a ______ dense cinder whose ______ is so great that nothing can_______, not even ____. This is known as a __________.•The closest star, ______________, is _____ years away, so the _____ we see from it tonight is actually ____ years old.

lightBlack Hole

fourlight

four

Alpha Centauri

supergravity

escape

Third – Galaxies•Galaxies are made of ________, dust, billions of _____ and objects ________these stars.•Many ____________ put together create a ______.•The nearest galaxy to us is ___________. (It is __________________ light years away.)•Our __________ is very ______compared to the ________.

solar systemsgalaxy

Andromeda2,200,000 (2.2 x 10⁶)

starsnebulae

orbiting

Solar System Smallgalaxy

Fourth – Universe

•The universe is made of _______ of _________ and a lot of _______ space.

galaxiesmillionsempty

Components of the Solar System

• Asteroids:• Asteroids are huge boulders made mostly of iron and

nickel. They come in all sizes.• There is an Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter.• It is estimated that there are over a million asteroids

larger than 1 km in diameter and many millions more of smaller sizes.

• Not all asteroids stay in the belt. Astronomers map and track as many as possible to avoid collisions with Earth.

Asteroids:

• The chances of a collision are actually very small.

• Consider the following example:• Rose Bowl Football Stadium = Inner Solar

System Orange placed on the 50 yard line = Sun• Nine grains of sand on the field = Planets• Go up in the Good Year Blimp and drop another

grain of sand. What are the chances of hitting a planet? Hitting planet Earth?

Meteroids, Meteors, and Meteorites:

• They are also known as shooting stars or falling stars.• A meteoroid is a piece of rock floating around in space orbiting the sun.

Usually it is no bigger than a grain of sand.• There are billions and billions of meteoroids.• Many meteoroids are actually pieces of rock and dust that melt off comets

as they approach the sun.• When a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it is then called a meteor.• Most meteors vaporize and completely burn up several miles above ground.

For example: Rub your hands together quickly back and forth to feel the heat created by the friction. This is like a meteor rubbing against the air particles of the Earth’s atmosphere.

• Occasionally a large meteor will hit the ground or shatter above ground. The shattered pieces are called meteorites.

Comets:• Comets are essentially giant dirty snowballs in space made of frozen gases with

tiny pieces of rock and dust mixed in.• Comets just stay in space orbiting the sun until something happens to knock a

comet out of its orbit.• It then begins to fall toward the nearest object with the most gravity – the sun.• Some fall into the sun and are destroyed.• Some fall toward the sun and fly away never to be seen again.• Others fall into a new orbit and reappear every so many years.• Halley’s Comet orbits the sun once every 76 years. It was last seen in 1986.• When will it be seen again? 2062.• As a comet approaches the sun, it heats up and begins to melt. As it melts, all

the gas vapors and dust particles are blown away from the nucleus (head) by solar wind. This creates the tail.

Comets:

• The tail of a comet always points away from the sun. So sometimes is actually appears to be flying backward.

Space Travel•The universe is so ____ that the only way to measure it is by using __________.•A light year is the ________ a beam of _____ would travel in one _____.•Light travels _______ miles per _____.•That means it can travel _____ times around the ______ in one _______.•At that speed, light can travel __________ ________________________ miles in one year.•Remember, it takes _____ years for the light from the nearest _____ to reach Earth

Light yearsbig

distance lightyear

186,000 hour7 1/2

Earth secondSix trillion

6,000,000,000,000 (6 x 10¹²)four

star

Let’s look at some other travel times

Destination Jet600 miles/hour

Rocket25,000 miles/hour

Sunbeam186,000 miles/hour

Moon

Sun

Mercury

Venus

Mars

Jupiter

Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Pluto

Alpha Centauri

Sirius

16.5 days 9.4 hours 1.2 seconds

17 years, 8 months 4 months 8.5 minutes

10 years, 10 months 3 months 5 minutes5 years, 5 months 1.4 months 2.5 minutes

8 years, 10 months

318 years, 6 months 7 years, 7 months 2 hours, 30 minutes

513 years, 2 months 12 years, 3 months 4 hours, 2 minutes

690 years, 1 months 16 years, 6 months 5 hours, 25 minutes4.8 million years 114,155.2 years 4.2 years

9.6 million years 228,310.4 years 8 years, 10 months

74 years, 3 months 1 year, 9 months 35 minutes

150 years, 5 months 3 years, 7 months 1 hour, 11 minutes

2.5 months 4 minutes

Space Travel•Reflect on the Speed of light travel times we have discussed. What surprised you? What did you learn?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Constellations

Constellations•Have you ever looked at the sky and seen pictures in the clouds or stars?•Look at the ceiling in our classroom. Can you make a picture out of the dots in the ceiling tiles? What can you see?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Constellations•Since the ___________ of time, people have _________ _______ in the groups of ______ they observe in the night _____.•Such _________ star ________ are called ____________.•Many ____________ are named for _______ or mythological _________.•The __________ is in one of the most well-known constellations. It is part of the ___________ constellation, which means ________.

beginningimagined pictures stars

skyimaginary pictures

constellationsconstellations animals

charactersBig Dipper

Ursa MajorBig Bear

Constellations•The __________ is found in a ___________ from the ____ of the bowl of the __________ and has been used as a point of _________ by __________ for centuries. The other ______ appear to _______ around this point.•Astronomers recognize a total of ___ constellations.•We do not always see the _____ constellations all the time. Why? ___________________________ _________________________________________

North Star straight lineend Big Dipper

reference navigatorsstars

rotate88

same

The Night Sky:Stars do not move.They stay in place in the universe, but the Earth does move!The Earth rotates on its axis. Just as the sun appears to rise and set during the day, the stars also rise and set during the night.The Earth revolves or orbits around the sun. This means the Earth is in different positions in space during different times of the year.The night sky changes during the year, just as the seasons change. As Earth revolves around the sun, the constellations we see appear in different places in the sky throughout the year.

ConstellationsThe Zodiac:Of the 88 constellations, 12 of them are particularly special. They are known as the zodiac constellations.

ConstellationsAstronomy vs. Astrology• Astronomy:

• Astrology:

the scientific study of the universe

the study of the positions of objects in the universe and their affect on human behavior

We teach about Astronomy. The Zodiac is part of Astrology. We will learn a little about the constellations of the Zodiac. People have different beliefs about the signs of the Zodiac, horoscopes, and its influence on life. We are not telling you what to believe, but just teaching you about these special constellations.

ConstellationsThe constellations of the Zodiac are in a band that wraps around the Earth like a giant belt.Each of the twelve constellations in the zodiac represents a time of year roughly a month long. The ancient Greeks believed (and some people still believe today) that a person’s personality is affected by the constellation or “sign” that the sun was passing through at the time of his or her birthday.

Constellations

ConstellationsConstellation Stories:Since the beginning of time, people have looked at the stars and seen patterns and pictures there.The Ancient Greeks included constellations in many of their myths.As with any mythology, the stories vary depending on the source.

Orion Constellation

Space TechnologyThere are many tools scientists use to help them study about space.Let’s look at a few.Record the information you researched on the chart below.

Item: Definition: Ways it is Used: Information it can Provide:

Satellites

Telescopes

Radio Telescopes

Rockets and

Space Shuttles

International Space Station

Space Probes

Computers