Science Study Guide – Chapter 8
The Solar System and Beyond
Earth’s spinning on its axis is called a rotation.
The shadows are the shortest at midday.
Study the table about Earth below:
1 minute / = / 60 seconds1 hour / = / 60 minutes
1 rotation / = / 24 hours
1 revolution / = / 1 year
You will find that the temperatures along the equator change very little from season to season.
If you do not have a compass while out in the wilderness, the sun setting will help you find your way by: The sun sets in the west, so if you were out in the wilderness without a compass and the sun was setting you would know which direction “west” would be. Other directions could be determined from this information.
The Sun’s reflection off the Moon’s surface produces moonlight.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon.
Study the diagram below:
Cause Effect
The Moon’s gravitypulls on the Earth. / Ocean tides are created.
The word phases refers to the Moon’s apparent shapes.
It is important for humans to protect Earth’s atmosphere from pollution for the following reason: Earth’s atmosphere helps to keep away meteoroids that would otherwise crash into the Earth. If the atmosphere because weakened from pollution, it might not be able to stop meteoroids from crashing into Earth.
Earth travels on an oval path.
Mercury is the hottest planet.
Earth is the only planet with oxygen and liquid water.
Study the diagram below:
People who live in the city see very few stars in the sky. People who live in the country see many stars in the sky. Why do you think? The lights in the city make the stars looks very dim or impossible to see at all. In the country it is very dark, so the stars look very bright and are much easier to see.
The Sun appears much larger than other stars because it is closer than the other stars.
The galaxy is also known as the Milky Way.
The distance between Earth and the stars is measured in light-years.
Study the diagram below: They both share “made of layers”
Earth Sun
Constellations were named a long time ago because people used stars to gain many kinds of information about directions and the seasons. Since this information as so important to them, they named the constellations so it would be easier for them to locate the information they needed in the sky.