The document describes key facts about the Earth, moon, eclipses, and lunar landforms. It states that the Earth orbits the sun in an elliptical path and rotates on its axis, causing day and night. The moon revolves around the Earth while the same side always faces it. Solar eclipses occur when the moon blocks the sun, and lunar eclipses happen when the Earth blocks the sun from the moon. Common lunar landforms include craters, maria (areas of hardened lava), and ray craters.

2. THE EARTH
• The Earth moves
around the sun
in a path like a
circle that has
been pulled a
little at both
ends. This
shape is called
an ellipse.

3. • The path Earth takes
around the sun is called its
orbit. As Earth orbits the
sun, it rotates, or spins on
its axis.
• The axis is an imaginary
line that passes through
Earth’s center and its North
and South Poles.

4. • The Earth’s rotation is what causes
day and night. When a place on
Earth faces the sun, it is day in that
place. When that place faces away
from the sun, it is night.

5. THE MOON
• The Moon is the Earth’s only natural
satellite. It revolves around the Earth and
on its own axis. The same side of the
moon always faces Earth.

6. • When we see the moon at night, it’s
because sunlight is reflected off its
surface, the moon does not generate
light.
• As the moon orbits Earth, its
position in the sky changes. This
produces the different shapes, or
phases, of the moon we see each
month.

7. Solar and Lunar Eclipses
• An eclipse occurs when one
object passes through the shadow
of another.
• There are seven eclipses- two
lunar and five solar- in a single
year.

8. A solar eclipse occurs when Earth
passes through a new moon’s
shadow.

9. A lunar eclipse occurs when the full
moon passes through Earth’s
shadow.

10. The Moon’s Surface
• Lunar landforms include craters, maria, ray
craters, rifles, highlands, and volcanic domes.
• The word maria is Latin for “seas”; they are
really areas of hardened lava.
• Ray craters are thought to be new craters.

11. REVIEW
( Please use the mouse for the review section…)
1. What is the name of the path that
Earth takes around the sun?
orbit ellipse
A B
C D
None of the
above
cycle

12. Sorry, that is not
correct…
TRY AGAIN!

13. That is
CORRECT!

14. REVIEW
2. What causes day and night on
Earth?
the moon eclipses
A B
C D
none of the
above
the Earth’s
rotation

15. That is
CORRECT!

16. REVIEW
3. What kind of eclipse occurs when
the full moon passes through
Earth’s shadow?
total lunar
A B
solar all of the above
C D

17. That is
CORRECT!

18. REVIEW
4. What are areas of hardened
lava on the surface of the
moon called?
A B
craters ray craters
C D
none of the
above
rifles

19. That is
CORRECT!

20. Works Cited…
• www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/
solarsystem/sun/solareclipse.shtml
• www.office.microsoft.com/clipart
• Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2002.
© 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation.