1. Earth in Space

2. The Solar System

3. The Solar System Major Planets:
Inner planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars
Relatively small and solid.
Outer planets – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Large and composed mostly or entirely of gas.
Orbit is the path that the planets travel around the sun.
They follow nearly circular, elliptical paths.
The planets complete an orbit at different speeds.
88 days for Mercury, 165 years for Neptune

4. Earth’s Movement Revolution – one circuit around the sun
Rotation– the Earth spinning on its axis
Axis – an imaginary line that passes through the Earth from Pole to Pole
Why do we not feel the Earth Move?
Size
Atmosphere – layer of oxygen and gases that move with it

5. What causes the seasons?

6. Sun and Seasons
The tilt of the Earth and its revolution around the sun causes the seasons to change throughout the year.
Page 37
The summer solstice – the day with the most hours of sunlight in the Northern hemisphere, and the beginning of summer
The sun’s rays directly hit the Tropic of Cancer
The winter solstice – the day with the fewest hours of sunlight, and the beginning of winter
The sun’s rays directly hit the Tropic of Capricorn
Equinox – days when there are equal hours of day and night
The beginnings of spring and autumn, and the sun shines directly on the Equator

7. Effects of Latitude
The further away from the Equator and the Tropics, the colder the temperatures.
The areas around the Arctic and Antarctic circles sometimes go days without receiving any sunlight,
They also go days without any night.