Planets and Stars Study Guide
Vocabulary you need to know:
Axis:An imaginary line that extends through both poles of a planet.
Revolve:To orbit around an object.
Star:A huge ball of superheated gases.
Planet:A large object that revolves around a star.
Galaxy: A huge system of gases, dust and stars
Solar System:A star and the group of objects that orbit around it
What you need to know about stars:
- A stars color tells us how hot it is. Blue is the hottest, yellow is medium, and red is the coolest.
- A star is a huge ball of superheated gas
- Stars do not move. They seem to move because the Earth moves.
- A pattern of stars is called a constellation. Some examples include The Big Dipper, The Little Dipper, and Orion’s Belt
- The sun isa star made up of burning gases. It is the biggest object in our solar system.
What you need to know about planets:
There are 8 planets. You need to know them in order.
MyM is for Mercury
VeryV is for Venus
EagerE is for Earth
MotherM is for Mars
JustJ is for Jupiter
ServedS is for Saturn
UsU is for Uranus
NachosN is for Neptune
Mercury is the planet which is closest to the Sun.Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are the inner planets. The inner planets are considered to be “rocky planets” because their surface is made up of rocks. An asteroid beltseparates the inner planets from the outer planets. Then there are the four outer planets, which are called Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.The outer planets are considered to be gas planets. They have no solid surfaces.
A planet is different from a star because stars make their own and light and planets reflect light.
Earth is a planet. It is different from other planets because it has liquid water and oxygen, which enables it to sustain life. It spins on its axis. It takes 24 hours to turn around once on its axis. This explains why Earth has day and night.The rotation of the Earth on its axis makes it appear as if the sun rises and sets in the sky.The Earth also orbits around the Sun. It takes 365 days, or one year for it to move around the Sun.As Earth moves around the Sun, we see different parts of space. This is why we see different stars at different times of the year.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are opposite to the Northern Hemisphere. This is because of the Earth’s tilt on its axis.
If you lived in the Southern Hemisphere, you would haveWinter in August.
What you need to know about the moon:
The phases of the moon are caused by the moon’s orbit of the Earth. A moon phase takes about 28 days to complete.
A new moon is when there is no moon visible in the night sky. Two weeks after a new moon, it will be full moon.