The solar system booklet
The solar system booklet
- Unit 1: The human body
- Unit 2: Materials
- Unit 3: Rocks, the rock cycle and soil
- Unit 4: Food chains and food webs
- Unit 5: Forces and electricity
- Unit 6: Light and the Solar system
This Topic is About...
- I will learn about the positions and movements of the Sun, Moon and the planets.
- I will observe and explain how the Moon changes shape during the month.
- I will use diagrams and models to show what the Solar System looks like.
- I will take careful measurements to help me with investigations.
- I will practise the skills of researching, observing and spotting patterns.
- I will look for patterns in results and notice anything that does not fit the pattern.
- I will use books, websites and other information sources to help me answer questions.
- I will collect observations and record them clearly in a table.
You’re going to be a Solar System explorer!
Key Words
- earth day
- earth hour
- earth year
- phase
- waning
- waxing
Tap to Learn the Meanings!
- earth day: The time it takes Earth to rotate once on its axis — 24 hours.
- earth hour: One hour of time measured on Earth — 1/24 of a day.
- earth year: The time it takes Earth to travel once around the Sun — 12 months.
- phase: The shape of the Moon we see from Earth at a certain time.
- waning: When the bright part of the Moon becomes smaller each night.
- waxing: When the bright part of the Moon becomes bigger each night.
Fantastic work learning space vocabulary!
Imagining the Solar System
Positions and distances in space are very difficult to imagine. For example, the Moon and the Sun look about the same size to us. But, in reality the Sun is about 500 times larger than the Moon. They look about the same size because the Sun is much further away from us – the Sun is about 150 million km away and the Moon is only 390 000 km away.
Distances of the Planets
Look at the diagram of the Solar System. You can see that there are four small planets close to the Sun and then four much bigger planets further away from the Sun. Mercury is 60 million km away from the Sun. Neptune is 4500 million km away from the Sun! So if we drew this diagram to scale we would need a huge piece of paper and Neptune would be a kilometre away from the Sun!
Think like a Scientist — Make a Scale Model of the Solar System
Aim: To build a model of the Solar System outside that shows the planets at the correct size and distance from the Sun.
You will need: a tennis or cricket ball, grains of sugar, two peas, two lentils, a long tape measure, nine sticks or poles to push into the ground, paper and a marker pen to make signs, sticky tape, measuring tape
Information you must use:
Use the table below to match each object to a planet and to see how far away from the Sun each planet must be placed:
| Sun or planet | Diameter in mm | Use this object | Distance from the Sun / m |
| Sun | 70 | Tennis ball or cricket ball | |
| Mercury | 0.3 | Grain of sugar | 3 |
| Venus | 0.6 | Grain of sugar | 5.5 |
| Earth | 0.7 | Grain of sugar | 7.5 |
| Mars | 0.4 | Grain of sugar | 11.5 |
| Jupiter | 7.2 | Pea | 39 |
| Saturn | 6 | Pea | 72 |
| Uranus | 2.5 | Lentil | 144 |
| Neptune | 2.5 | Lentil | 250 |
Method:
- Make a sign saying ‘Sun’ and tape this to the ball. Make signs for each planet and stick a sugar grain, pea or lentil on the sign. Attach signs to sticks.
- Put the Sun at one end of your space. Measure the distances from the Sun for the planets and put in your signs on sticks.
- Leave your model in place for other classes to look at.
Follow-up Questions:
Tap to See Answers
- 1: It shows the Sun and planets at the correct size and distance from each other.
- 2: It is scaled correctly, so the distances between the planets are realistic.
- 3: Neptune would be around 250 metres away from the football.
Amazing modelling skills — you are thinking like a real scientist!
Two Movements of the Earth
In earlier stages you learnt that the Earth makes two movements: it turns on its axis once every 24 hours or day, and it completes an orbit around the Sun once every year or 365¼ days.
Other Bodies Move Too
It isn’t only Earth that makes these movements. Every body in the Solar System makes regular motions like this. Other bodies in the Solar System take different amounts of time to turn on their axes. We measure these time periods in terms of ‘Earth days’ or ‘Earth hours’. One Earth day is 24 hours and one Earth hour is 60 minutes.
Time to Orbit the Sun
The other bodies in the Solar System also take different amounts of time to complete their orbits around the Sun. We measure their orbiting times in Earth days or ‘Earth years’. An Earth year is 365¼ days.
Earth’s Only Moon
Earth has one moon. It takes 29.5 days for the Moon to complete its orbit around the Earth. We call this a month.
Changing Views of the Moon
During the month we can sometimes see half the Moon, sometimes a whole circle of Moon and sometimes no Moon at all. This is because, like Earth, only half the Moon can be lit up by the Sun at any one time. The part of the lit half of the Moon which we can see from the Earth is called the phase of the Moon. We see all the phases of the Moon in 29.5 days or one month. Look at the photograph of the Moon completely lit up below. This is called a full Moon. We only see this once a month.
Understanding the Moon Diagram
Look at the diagram. The diagram shows the Moon in eight positions A–H in its orbit around the Earth. The Sun is far away on the right-hand side of the diagram. So the right half of the Earth and the right half of the Moon in all its positions is lit by the Sun. The halves shaded black on the diagram are in darkness.
Moon Phases Around the Orbit
The phases of the Moon are shown around the edges of the orbit. Look at the Moon in its different phases on the diagram.
The Moon Getting Brighter — Waxing
As the Moon’s phases go from new Moon in position A to full Moon in position E, the Moon is appearing larger every night. We say the Moon is waxing.
The Moon Getting Dimmer — Waning
As the Moon’s phases go from full Moon in position E to new Moon in position A, the Moon is appearing smaller every night. We say the Moon is waning.
Think like a Scientist – Observe the Moon
Question: How can we observe and describe the phases of the Moon over one month?
Equipment: Your teacher will help you choose what you need, such as a notebook or recording sheet, a pencil, and a calendar to mark the dates.
Safety First:
- Observe the Moon from a safe place away from roads.
- Take care when going outside at night and follow your school’s safety rules.
- Ask an adult for help if you need to go outside after dark.
Method:
- Plan an investigation to identify the phases of the Moon over a period of one month. Include the following:
- When and where will you conduct the investigation?
- How will you record data?
- What factors could make your investigation difficult?
- Conduct the investigation over a period of one month.
- Collect data.
- Record your data in a table.
- Identify and label the phases you observed.
- Identify a pattern in your results.
Follow-up Question:
Tap to See Answers
- 7: This activity is mainly an example of observing over time, because you watch how the Moon changes shape over many nights.
Well done for planning and carrying out your own Moon investigation!