Understanding how the rotational model of the Earth, Sun and Moon affects our lives By Mr. Hartman

The Earth, Sun and Moon are things we see every day and capture our interests. We see the Sun pass through the sky each day and see the Moon change appearance during each month 1.Does the changing appearance of the moon affect your life? 2.Do the positions of the Earth, Sun and Moon ever cause anything special to happen? 3.Does the rotation of the Earth around the Sun affect you?

The relationship between how the Moon moves around the Earth and the Earth moves around the Sun explains the following topics that we will learn about in this lesson: 1.The Lunar Phases or Fullness of the Moon 2.Eclipses of the Sun and the Moon 3.The Seasons and how they differ in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres

Rotating on an Axis The sun, moon and Earth all rotate on an axis like a basketball spinning Rotations and Orbits They also rotate (or orbit) around other points The moon rotates around the earth The earth rotates around the sun The sun rotates around the center of the galaxy.

The moon glows because it reflects light from the sun. Half of the moon is always facing the sun and reflecting light into space. As the moon circles the Earth, the shape of the moon appears to change because the part of the moon reflecting light is not always facing us directly. The shape varies from a full moon (when the Earth is between the sun and the moon) to a new moon (when the moon is between the sun and the Earth).

There are eight phases of the moon that occur in the following order: 1.New Moon (Moon is closest to sun) 2.Waxing Crescent 3.First Quarter 4.Waxing Gibbous 5.Full Moon (Moon is farthest from sun) 6.Waning Gibbous 7.Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) 8.Waning Crescent *Waxing means becoming more or bigger *Waning means getting less or smaller

 Did you know we can only see one side of the moon from Earth?  As the moon orbits around the Earth, the moon is also slowing rotating so that it always shows us the same side.  Is the moon hiding something on the other side? Synchronous Rotation of the Moon

 A solar eclipse happens when the moon blocks our view of the sun. This happens when the Moon is exactly between the Sun and the Earth.  Partial Solar Eclipse - A partial solar eclipse is when the Moon only covers part of the Sun.  Total Solar Eclipse - A total solar eclipse is when the Moon appears to cover the entire Sun. This is only visible in the portion where the Umbra reaches the earth.  Totality is the short part of an eclipse when the moon entirely blocks the Sun.  Annular Eclipse - During an annular eclipse, the sun looks like an "annulus" or ring. The ring is visible when the Moon does not entirely cover the disk of the Sun during a solar eclipse.

 A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth's shadow falls on the moon. Lunar eclipses occur, on average, about every 6 months.  Total Eclipse - When the entire moon enters the Earth's umbra (the darkest part of its shadow), this is called a total eclipse.  Partial Eclipse - When only part of the moon enters the Earth's umbra, this is called a partial eclipse.

Some people believe that Earth is closer to the Sun in the summer and that is why it is hotter. And, likewise, they think Earth is farthest from the Sun in the winter. Do you agree or disagree with this reason? Does that explain the seasons for every place on earth?

 The Earth's seasons are not caused by the differences in the distance from the Sun throughout the year (these differences are extremely small). The seasons are the result of the tilt of the Earth's axis.  The Earth's axis is tilted from perpendicular to the plane of the orbit of Earth around the sun by 23.45°. This tilting is what gives us the four seasons of the year - spring, summer, autumn (fall) and winter.  Since the axis is tilted, different parts of the globe are oriented towards the Sun at different times of the year.  The seasons in the Northern Hemisphere are the opposite of those in the Southern Hemisphere because of the tilting and rotation of the earth around the sun.

Sun Earth Seasons