Today we will be learning about the motion of the earth, moon, and sun. Our lesson today is called, “Solar Dance”. We will be learning about the motion of the earth, and moon in relation to the sun. We will also have an activity and you will all be responsible for filling in your journal. You (the class) have spent the last few weeks discussing the moon, why we have day and night, and a lot of other things about our solar system…can you tell me about some of the things you’ve learned?
The sun is a star. The sun is at the center of our universe. The sun’s diameter is 110 times larger then the earth’s. The sun is between 90 and 95 million miles away from the earth . It gives off light and heat. It does not move in relation to the earth and moon. Can you live on the sun?
The earth is a sphere. The earth is where we live. We can live on the earth thanks to air and water. The earth has one moon. The earth moves. What do you know about the earth? The Earth is tilted on an imaginary axis. The sun is larger than the earth, and the earth is larger than the moon.
The moon moves. Tell me what you know about the moon. We see the moon at night, but sometimes, we can see the moon during the day. Why? The moon is not a planet, and it is smaller than the earth. The moon is ¼ the size of the earth. The moon is 250,000 miles away from the earth. We always see the same side of the moon, why? The moon goes through phases. Why?
The moon orbits the earth in a counter-clockwise direction…left to right…east to west. The moon orbits the earth once every 29 ½ days..just about a month. We ONLY see one side of the moon. This is because the moon spins one time during its 29 ½ day orbit.
The earth spins on its axis. The earth spins once every 24 hours, one day. The earth orbits the sun once every 365 days, one year. The earth spins and orbits the sun in a counter-clockwise direction…left to right… east to west. This is why we see the sun rise in the east and set in the west. The tilt of the earth’s axis is what causes the seasons. The spinning of the earth causes night and day.
As the earth orbits the sun, the moon orbits the earth. The moon and earth orbit in the same direction; left to right…counter-clockwise…east to west. The earth spins in a counterclockwise direction once every 24 hours, one day, and the moon spins in a counter-clockwise direction once every 29 ½ days. The earth takes 365 days to orbit the sun, and the moon takes 29 ½ days to orbit the earth. The sun does not move in relation to the earth and moon.
