The Solar System

The Solar System is made of… All of the “things” called celestial bodies that orbit the Sun This includes… – Planets – Moons (that orbit planets) – Various asteroids and comets

Rotational and Orbital Periods The Earth revolves around the Sun – It takes 365 days and 6 hours for one complete rotation The Earth rotates on an axis – It takes 24 hours – Axis is tilted at 23.5° The Moon revolves around the Earth – It takes 29.5 days for one complete rotation The Moon rotates on an axis – It takes 29.5 days – Why is there a “dark side of the moon”?

Rotational and Orbital Periods The Sun (and our entire solar system) rotate around the center of the Milky Way Galaxy – One complete rotation takes about 230,000,000 years! (230 million) The Sun rotates on an axis – It takes about days for a spot on the equator of the Sun to complete one rotation – It takes 38 days for a spot near the pole to complete one rotation

Why is “13” an unlucky number? There are 13 full moons in one year…but only 12 months….

The Lunar Eclipse A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth is directly between the Moon and the Sun

What you will see tonight…. The light from the Sun will be blocked by the surface of the Earth… – This will make the full moon (bright white) go dark The atmosphere of the Earth will not block all of the light….. Some of the light will reach the moon causing it to turn red

If you were on the Moon… Imagine standing on the Moon and looking at the Earth and the Sun… – What would you see as the Sun set on the Earth? – What would happen to the amount of sunlight on the Moon as you watched? Here is what NASA has to say…NASA

Vocabulary Umbra- Penumbra- Total Eclipse- Partial Eclipse- Calendar- Time- Tetrad-

Essential Questions Why will the Moon turn Red during the eclipse on 4/15/14? What is the relationship between your age and the orbital period of the Earth? How else could we use a celestial body to determine your age?