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1. Read and answer the questions?

1. What is a star system?

2. How many are there?

3. What is ours called and why?

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A star system is a group of planets, meteors, or other objects that orbit a large star. While there are many star systems, including at least 200 billion other stars in our galaxy, there is only one solar system. That's because our sun is known by its Latin name, Sol.

The solar system includes everything that is gravitationally drawn into the sun's orbit. Astronomers have discovered there are many other large stars within our galaxy, the Milky Way. Use these resources to teach students about the objects and relationships within our solar system.

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A star system is a group of planets, meteors, or other objects that orbit a large star. While there are many star systems, including at least 200 billion other stars in our galaxy, there is only one solar system. That's because our sun is known by its Latin name, Sol.

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1. Read and answer the questions:

1. Where is our solar system? In what galaxy?

2. What does our Solar System consist of?

3. What is in the center?

4. How many planets does it have?

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The solar system consists of the Sun and everything that orbits, or travels around, the Sun. This includes the eight planets and their moons, dwarf planets, and countless...

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1. Find out how the Universe was created watching this video.

2. Create a timeline of the main events until the Earth was created.

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The Big Bang Theory for Kids | Learn about this theory for how the universe began

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At the end of the lesson we will:

1. Understand and explain the principal characteristics of the Earth and its movements as well as its effects.

2. Describe and understand the characteristics of the Moon, its movement and the effects it has on the Earth.

3. Comprehend the formation of the Universe and most of the objects that are in it.

4. Recognize the principal components of our Solar System.

5. Understand the history of astronomy.

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Create a Moon diary.

1. During two weeks observe the sky at night to see the Moon.

2. What do you see?

3. Draw what you see and write about:

its shape

its size

its place

You can help yourself with this guide from NASA.

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NASA's interactive map for observing the Moon each day of the year.

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1. Read about our Moon in this website.

2. Take notes of the following questions WITH YOUR OWN WORDS:

1. What is the Moon?

2. Why does it change shape?

3. Why does it shine?

4. How long does it take to go around the Earth?

5. Do other planets have Moons?

3. Read on p. 11 of your Social Science book about the two movements of the Moon.

4. Take notes about the two movements of the Moon.

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Why do we see the phases of the Moon?

1. Watch the video to understand the phases of the Moon.

2. Now read page 10 on your Social Science book.

3. Draw and name the different phases of the Moon according to your book.

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STEM Unplugged: How to Build a Moon Model to Study Lunar Phases

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Find the answer to this questions about Moon facts in this website:

1. How was the Moon formed?

2. What is the structure of the Moon?

3. What is the distance between the Earth and the Moon?

4. Can we breathe on the Moon? Why or why not?

5. Can the Moon support life? Why or why not?

6. Why can't we see the "dark side" of the Moon?

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The Moon was likely formed after a Mars-sized body collided with Earth several billion years ago. Earth’s only natural satellite is simply called “the Moon” because people didn’t know other moons existed until Galileo Galilei discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610. In Latin, the Moon was called Luna, which is the main adjective for […]

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Complete the online game about space exploration.

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Play | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids

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Learn about NASA space and Earth science with our educational games for kids

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1. Investigate about exoplanets.

2. Create and draw a model of an imaginary planetary system.

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All of the planets in our solar system orbit around the Sun. Planets that orbit around other stars are called exoplanets. Exoplanets are very hard to see directly with telescopes. They are hidden by the bright glare of the stars they orbit.

So, astronomers use other ways to detect and study these distant planets. They search for exoplanets by looking at the effects these planets have on the stars they orbit.

How do we look for exoplanets?

One way to search for exoplanets is to look for " wobbly" stars. A star that has planets doesn't orbit perfectly around its center. From far away, this off-center orbit makes the star look like it's wobbling.

Hundreds of planets have been discovered using this method. However, only big planets-like Jupiter, or even larger-can be seen this way. Smaller Earth-like planets are much harder to find because they create only small wobbles that are hard to detect.

How can we find Earth-like planets in other solar systems?

In 2009, NASA launched a spacecraft called Kepler to look for exoplanets. Kepler looked for planets in a wide range of sizes and orbits. And these planets orbited around stars that varied in size and temperature.

Some of the planets discovered by Kepler are rocky planets that are at a very special distance from their star. This sweet spot is called the habitable zone, where life might be possible.

Kepler detected exoplanets using something called the transit method. When a planet passes in front of its star, it's called a transit. As the planet transits in front of the star, it blocks out a little bit of the star's light. That means a star will look a little less bright when the planet passes in front of it.

Astronomers can observe how the brightness of the star changes during a transit. This can help them figure out the size of the planet.

By studying the time between transits, astronomers can also find out how far away the planet is from its star. This tells us something about the planet's temperature. If a planet is just the right temperature, it could contain liquid water-an important ingredient for life.

So far, thousands of planets have been discovered by the Kepler mission. And more will be found by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, which is observing the entire sky to locate planets orbiting the nearest and brightest stars.

We now know that exoplanets are very common in the universe. And future NASA missions have been planned to discover many more!

Want to learn even more about exoplanets?

Visit NASA Exoplanets 101.

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All of the planets in our solar system orbit around the Sun. Planets that orbit around other stars are called exoplanets. Exoplanets are very hard to see directly with telescopes. They are hidden by the bright glare of the stars they orbit. So, astronomers use other ways to detect and study these distant planets.

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Practice what you are learning about the Solar System with these online games.

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Holidays - Solar system and more - THE SOLAR SYSTEM - SOLAR SYSTEM - SOLAR SYSTEM QUIZ - Where is it? Where are they? - The Solar System - The Solar System

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1. Read and answer the questions:

1. What is our Sun? Is it a planet, a comet...?

2. How close is the Sun to the Earth?

3. What does it look like?

4. Why is the Sun important? Talk about:

1. its gravity

2. its heat

3. its light

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A star is a hot, glowing ball of gas. When you look up in the night sky, you can see countless twinkling stars. Can you see any stars during the daytime? Of course! The light of daytime comes from our closest star: the Sun.

Just how close is the Sun to Earth? Way, way closer than other stars, but still pretty far away. It's approximately 93 million miles away from Earth. That's 400 times farther than the distance between Earth and the Moon!

However, it's a good thing that Earth isn't too close to the Sun. If we were too close, it would be way too hot to live here. The Sun's surface is very hot, and its atmosphere is even hotter. And the Sun's core is the hottest part of all, at a sizzling 27 million degrees Fahrenheit!

Our Sun is about 100 times wider than Earth, but it is just an average sized star. Astronomers have found some stars that are 100 times bigger than the Sun and others that are 10 times smaller.

The Sun is also right in the middle of its lifecycle. Right now, our Sun is in a stage called yellow dwarf. It is about 4.5 billion years old. In another 5 billion years the Sun will become a big, cool star called a red giant. A few billion years after that, it will become a small white dwarf star. It will shrink to around the same size as Earth, but it will weigh 20,000 times more.

But even though our Sun is kind of an ordinary star, there are also a few things that make our Sun quite special. For example...

We can't live without the Sun!

Life on Earth depends on the Sun. Here are just a few reasons why:

The Sun's gravity holds our entire solar system together. Our solar system is even named after the Sun (the Latin word for Sun is "sol").

Heat from the Sun makes Earth warm enough to live on.

Without light from the Sun, there would be no plants or animals-and, therefore, no food and we wouldn't exist.

Heat and light might be important for life on Earth, but the Sun sends other stuff, too. The Sun sends lots of other energy and small particles toward Earth. Earth's protective magnetic field and atmosphere shields us from most of the energy and particles. But sometimes a big stream of these particles reaches Earth and interacts with the gases at the outer edge of our atmosphere. This causes streams of light in the sky, called auroras.

The Sun's Neighbors

In our solar system, the closest planet to the Sun is Mercury. Our Sun's closest star neighbor is called Proxima Centauri. It is approximately 4 light-years away.

What does the Sun look like?

First of all, you should never look directly at the Sun without very special protective eyewear. But NASA has many great pictures of the Sun for you to look at! Scientists use telescopes with filters to capture images of the Sun. These images help us learn about our star. The photo below was taken by a NASA spacecraft called the Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Have any spacecraft visited the Sun?

A spacecraft would easily burn up if it tried to fly into the Sun. However, NASA's Parker Solar Probe is flying closer than any other robotic explorer ever has. It will be flying inside the Sun's atmosphere, or corona. This spacecraft will help us learn more about how the Sun works and how solar activity starts. This helps us to be more prepared!

More fun facts about the Sun!

The Sun goes through ups and downs in activity like solar flares. It gets more active with more sunspots and then less active over a period of 11 years. This is called the solar cycle.

The Sun has been getting slowly brighter since it was born. A couple of billions of years ago, the Sun was a little dimmer than it is now.

The Sun contains almost ALL of the material in our solar system. 99% of it. All the planets, asteroids and comets add up to less than 1% of the total.

The Sun is so far away that it takes light about 8 minutes and 20 seconds for it to get to us - and light is the fastest thing in the universe.

For more information visit:
NASA Science

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The light of daytime comes from our closest star: the Sun. Learn more about it!

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1. Read and watch the video on this website.

2. Take notes pf the following with your own words:

1. What causes tides?

2. Draw the effect of the Moon on the Earth's water.

3. Why are there 2 high tides in a day?

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There are 8 planets in our Solar System. Investigate about each of them and take notes of their main facts.

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Articles, games and activities about our planetary neighbors

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1. Read about eclipses on this website.

2. Take notes about what you learnt:

1. What does an eclipse happen?

2. Draw and explain a lunar eclipse (draw where is the Sun, the Earth and the Moon)

3. Why don't we have lunar eclipses every month?

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Below, check out a visualization of the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse!

What's the difference between a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse?

Solar Eclipse

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon gets in the way of the Sun's light and casts its shadow on Earth. That means during the day, the Moon moves over the Sun and it gets dark. Isn't it strange that it gets dark in the middle of the day?

This total eclipse happens about every year and a half somewhere on Earth. A partial eclipse, when the Moon doesn't completely cover the Sun, happens at least twice a year somewhere on Earth.

But not everyone experiences every solar eclipse. Getting a chance to see a total solar eclipse is rare. The Moon's shadow on Earth isn't very big, so only a small portion of places on Earth will see it. You have to be on the sunny side of the planet when it happens. You also have to be in the path of the Moon's shadow.

On average, the same spot on Earth only gets to see a solar eclipse for a few minutes about every 375 years!

Caution! Eye Safety During a Total Solar Eclipse
Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun's bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing.

For safety information, visit the NASA Eclipse Safety Page.

Lunar Eclipse

During a lunar eclipse, Earth gets in the way of the Sun's light hitting the Moon. That means that during the night, a full moon fades away as Earth's shadow covers it up.

The Moon can also look reddish because Earth's atmosphere absorbs the other colors while it bends some sunlight toward the Moon. Sunlight bending through the atmosphere and absorbing other colors is also why sunsets are orange and red.

During a total lunar eclipse, the Moon is shining from all the sunrises and sunsets occurring on Earth!

Why don't we have a lunar eclipse every month?

You might be wondering why we don't have a lunar eclipse every month as the Moon orbits Earth. It's true that the Moon goes around Earth every month, but it doesn't always get in Earth's shadow. The Moon's path around Earth is tilted compared to Earth's orbit around the Sun. The Moon can be behind Earth but still get hit by light from the Sun.

Because they don't happen every month, a lunar eclipse is a special event. Unlike solar eclipses, lots of people get to see each lunar eclipse. If you live on the nighttime half of Earth when the eclipse happens, you'll be able to see it.

Remembering the Difference

It's easy to get these two types of eclipses mixed up. An easy way to remember the difference is in the name. The name tells you what gets darker when the eclipse happens. In a solar eclipse, the Sun gets darker. In a lunar eclipse, the Moon gets darker.

Related Resources for Educators

Launchpad: Solar Eclipses

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1. Read and answer the questions:

1. What is a dwarf planet?

2. How many dwarf planets do we know of?

3. What are the names of the dwarf planets?

4. Where are they in the Solar System?

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DID YOU KNOW?

* In July 2015, Pluto became the first dwarf planet to be explored by spacecraft. NASA's New Horizons reached Pluto after traveling more than 3 billion miles over nine years.

* The five confirmed dwarf planets-including Pluto-are all smaller than Earth's moon, but some of them have moons themselves.

* Astronomers suspect that the asteroid Ceres might have geysers that spew water from its rocky crust.

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Learn about the solar system's dwarf planets.

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1. Go to the section of your team.

2. Follow the tasks in order. Take notes in your notebook about everything you are asked.

3. Create the final task with recycled materials and others you already had.

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1. Read this website about comets.

2. Take notes of the following questions WITH YOUR OWN WORDS:

1. What are comets?

2. Where can we find them?

3. What does a comet look like? draw a diagram.

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Where do comets come from?

Comets are mostly found way out in the solar system. Some exist in a wide disk beyond the orbit of Neptune called the Kuiper Belt. We call these short-period comets. They take less than 200 years to orbit the Sun.

Other comets live in the Oort Cloud, the sphere-shaped, outer edge of the solar system that is about 50 times farther away from the Sun than the Kuiper Belt. These are called long-period comets because they take much longer to orbit the Sun. The comet with the longest known orbit takes more than 250,000 years to make just one trip around the Sun!

What brings comets near Earth so we can see them?

The gravity of a planet or star can pull comets from their homes in the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud. This tug can redirect a comet toward the Sun. The paths of these redirected comets look like long, stretched ovals.

As the comet is pulled faster and faster toward the Sun, it swings around behind the Sun, then heads back toward where it came from. Some comets dive right into the Sun, never to be seen again. When the comet is in the inner solar system, either coming or going, that's when we may see it in our skies.

What are the parts of a comet?

At the heart of every comet is a solid, frozen core called the nucleus. This ball of dust and ice is usually less than 10 miles (16 kilometers) across - about the size of a small town. When comets are out in the Kuiper Belt or Oort Cloud, scientists believe that's pretty much all there is to them - just frozen nuclei.

But when a comet gets close to the Sun, it starts heating up. Eventually, the ice begins to turn to gas. This can also cause jets of gas to burst out of the comet, bringing dust with it. The gas and dust create a huge, fuzzy cloud around the nucleus called the coma.

Why do comets have tails?

As dust and gases stream away from the nucleus, sunlight and particles coming from the Sun push them into a bright tail that stretches behind the comet for millions of miles.

When astronomers look closely, they find that comets actually have two separate tails. One looks white and is made of dust. This dust tail traces a broad, gently curving path behind the comet. The other tail is bluish and is made up of electrically charged gas molecules, or ions. The ion tail always points directly away from the Sun.

How do we learn about comets?

People have been interested in comets for thousands of years. But it wasn't possible to get a good view of a comet nucleus from Earth since it is shrouded by the gas and dust of the coma. In recent years, though, several spacecraft have had the chance to study comets up close.

NASA's Stardust mission collected samples from Comet Wild 2 (prounounced like "Vilt two") and brought them back to Earth. Scientists found those particles to be rich in hydrocarbons, which are chemicals we consider the "building blocks" of life.

Rosetta, a mission of the European Space Agency that had several NASA instruments onboard, studied Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Rosetta dropped a lander on the nucleus, then orbited the comet for two years. Rosetta detected building blocks of life on this comet, too. And images showed Comet 67P to be a rugged object with lots of activity shaping its surface.

Thanks to these missions and others like them, we now know a lot more about the structure of comets and the types of chemicals found on and around them. We've even learned a bit more about the formation of our solar system!

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1. Choose one comet from this website.

2. Read and learn everything about it.

3. Write down what you learnt with your own words.

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Comets are frozen leftovers from the formation of the solar system composed of dust, rock, and ices. They range from a few miles to tens of miles wide, but as they orbit closer to the Sun, they heat up and spew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be larger than a planet. This material forms a tail that stretches millions of miles.

Comets are frozen leftovers from the formation of the solar system composed of dust, rock, and ices. They range from a few miles to tens of miles wide, but as they orbit closer to the Sun, they heat up and spew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be larger than a planet. This material forms a tail that stretches millions of miles.

Comets are cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock, and dust that orbit the Sun. When frozen, they are the size of a small town. When a comet's orbit brings it close to the Sun, it heats up and spews dust and gases into a giant glowing head larger than most planets. The dust and gases form a tail that stretches away from the Sun for millions of miles. There are likely billions of comets orbiting our Sun in the Kuiper Belt and even more distant Oort Cloud.

The current number of known comets is about 3,910.

Discover More Topics From NASA

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Overview Comets are frozen leftovers from the formation of the solar system composed of dust, rock, and ices. They range from a few miles to tens of miles wide, but as they orbit closer to the Sun, they heat up and spew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be larger than a [...]

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1. Read about asteroids in this website.

2. Take notes of the important information:

1. What is an asteroid?

2. Where can we find them?

3. Where do they come from?

4. Are all asteroids similar?

5. What do we learn from asteroids?

6. Can an asteroid hit the Earth?

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Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the sun. Although asteroids orbit the sun like planets, they are much smaller than planets.

There are lots of asteroids in our solar system. Most of them live in the main asteroid belt -a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

Asteroids hang out in other places, too. For example, some asteroids are found in the orbital path of planets. This means that the asteroid and the planet follow the same path around the sun. Earth and a few other planets have asteroids like this.

Where did asteroids come from?

Asteroids are left over from the formation of our solar system. Our solar system began about 4.6 billion years ago when a big cloud of gas and dust collapsed. When this happened, most of the material fell to the center of the cloud and formed the sun.

Some of the condensing dust in the cloud became planets. The objects in the asteroid belt never had the chance to be incorporated into planets. They are leftovers from that time long ago when planets formed.

Are all asteroids the same?

No way! Because asteroids formed in different locations at different distances from the sun, no two asteroids are alike. Here are a few ways that they differ:

Asteroids aren't all round like planets. They have jagged and irregular shapes.

Some asteroids are hundreds of miles in diameter, but many more are as small as pebbles.

Most asteroids are made of different kinds of rocks, but some have clays or metals, such as nickel and iron.

What can we learn from asteroids?

Since asteroids formed at the same time as other objects in our solar system, these space rocks can give scientists lots of information about the history of planets and the sun. Scientists can learn about asteroids by studying meteorites: tiny bits of asteroids that have flown through our atmosphere and landed on Earth's surface.

Several NASA space missions have also flown by and observed asteroids. The NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft landed on Eros, an asteroid near Earth, in 2001. Then, the Dawn spacecraft traveled to the asteroid belt in 2011. It orbited and studied the giant asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres.

In 2016, NASA launched the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to study an asteroid near Earth named Bennu. After studying Bennu for a few years, OSIRIS-REx scooped up a sample of dust and rocks from the asteroid's surface.

Now, OSIRIS-REx is headed back to Earth! Its sample container will land in the Utah desert in September 2023. Scientists will then collect the container and examine the dust and rocks for clues about how planets formed and life began.

Will an asteroid ever hit Earth?

There are no known impact threats, but tiny meteors burn up in Earth's atmosphere all the time! Watch this video to learn more from NASA asteroid expert Dr. Kelly Fast.

Related Resources for Educators

Asteroid Resources from NASA JPL Education

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And what can we learn from these space rocks in our solar system?

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1. Read this website.

2. Find and write the definitions:

Meteoroids

Meteors

Meteorites

Shooting stars

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The Solar System is full of material left over from the formation of the planets. Small chunks of rock that travel through space are known as meteoroids. If they enter a planet's atmosphere and burn up, they are then seen as meteors. Sometimes larger pieces of rock survive long enough to crash into a planet's surface. Space rocks on the Earth's surface are known as meteorites.

Meteors (often called "shooting stars") are very common sights. Anyone who stares at a clear night sky will eventually see these brief trails of light. Meteors are caused by meteorites entering the upper atmosphere at speeds of around 15 km/s! Meteor trails usually last for less than a second. Friction with the thin air at an altitude of about 100 km causes meteorites to glow as they are heated and then destroyed.

Meteors can be seen at any time, but the best time to look for them is during periodic showers. Such showers appear around the same dates each year, when Earth passes through a stream of dust left behind by a passing comet.

There are about 20 main showers, although only a few of them produce as many as 50 meteors per minute. Occasionally, the sky is filled with shooting stars. The most famous "meteor storms" are linked with the Leonid shower, which takes place every year between 14 and 20 November. The shower has been so active in the past that it resembled falling snow!

Some meteors are too faint to be seen, even at night, but they can be detected by radar. Other planets have meteor showers too. On Mars, meteorites generally burn up in the thin atmosphere to produce meteors. However, there is no air on the Moon, so meteorites hit the ground and explode without burning up.

Last modified 12 April 2017

Comets and meteors

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The Solar System is full of material left over from the formation of the planets. Small chunks of rock that travel through space are known as meteoroids. If they enter a planet's atmosphere and burn up, they are then seen as meteors. Sometimes larger pieces of rock survive long enough to crash into a planet's surface.

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1. Create a lapbook that presents all the information you collected.

2. Divide your project to present it to the class.

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1. Create a lapbook that presents all the information you collected.

2. Divide your project to present it to the class.

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1. Create a lapbook that presents all the information you collected.

2. Divide your project to present it to the class.

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1. Read about the Earth on this website.

2. Take notes about what you learn with your own words:

1. What is the Earth?

2. What is the Earth's place in the Solar System?

3. What is it made of?

4. How many moons does it have?

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Our home planet Earth is a rocky, terrestrial planet. It has a solid and active surface with mountains, valleys, canyons, plains and so much more. Earth is special because it is an ocean planet. Water covers 70% of Earth's surface.

Our atmosphere is made mostly of nitrogen and has plenty of oxygen for us to breathe. The atmosphere also protects us from incoming meteoroids, most of which break up in our atmosphere before they can strike the surface as meteorites.

Since we live here, you might think we know all there is to know about Earth. Not at all, actually! We have a lot we can learn about our home planet. Right now, there are many satellites orbiting Earth taking pictures and measurements. This is how we can learn more about weather, oceans, soil, climate change, and many other important topics.

Structure and Surface

Earth is a terrestrial planet. It is small and rocky.

Earth's atmosphere is the right thickness to keep the planet warm so living things like us can be there. It's the only planet in our solar system we know of that supports life. It is mostly nitrogen, and it has plenty of oxygen for us to breathe.

Time on Earth

A day on Earth lasts a little under 24 hours.

One year on Earth lasts 365.25 days. That 0.25 extra means every four years we need to add one day to our calendar. We call it a leap day (in a leap year).

Earth's Neighbors

Earth has just one Moon. It is the only planet to have just one moon.

Earth has lots of spacecraft watching it. There is still a lot we can learn about our home planet.

Earth is the third planet from the Sun in our solar system. That means Venus and Mars are Earth's neighboring planets.

Quick History

We have known about our planet since ancient times, of course. But we didn't know our place in the solar system for a long time.

What does Earth look like?

For more information visit:
NASA Solar System Exploration

Related Resources for Educators

Real World: A-Train
Our World: A-Train
Real World: Earth Systems

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1. Read about the Earth's movement on this website and on page 8 and 9 on your Social Science book.

2. Take notes about what you learn. Use your own words:

1. How many movements does the Earth do? What are their names?

2. Explain the rotation of the Earth:

1. It rotates around what?

2. What is the Earth's axis?

3. How long does it take?

4. What does it cause?

3. Explain the revolution of the Earth:

1. It orbits around what?

2. How long does it take?

3. What does it cause?

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We have heard the terms rotation and revolution associated with celestial objects. Let us know more about rotation and revolution and the difference between rotation and revolution.

What is Rotation?

A rotation is a circular movement of an object around a centre of rotation. If three-dimensional objects like the earth, moon and other planets always rotate around an imaginary line, it is called a rotation axis. If the axis passes through the body's centre of mass, the body is said to rotate upon itself or spin.

What is Revolution?

Revolution is often used as a synonym for rotation. However, in many fields like astronomy and its related subjects, revolution is referred to as an orbital revolution. It is used when one body moves around another, while rotation means moving around the axis. For example, the Moon revolves around the Earth, and the Earth revolves around the Sun.

Rotation of the Earth

Earth rotates on its axis from west to east, and the Sun and the Moon appear to move from east to west across the sky. The spinning of the Earth around its axis is called 'rotation'. The axis has an angle of 23 1/2º and is perpendicular to the plane of Earth's orbit. This means the Earth is tilted on its axis, and because of this tilt, the northern and southern hemispheres lean in a direction away from the Sun. The rotation of the Earth divides it into a lit-up half and a dark half, which gives rise to day and night. The direction of the Earth's rotation depends on the direction of viewing. When viewed looking down from the North Pole, Earth spins counterclockwise. On the contrary, when viewed looking down from the south pole, the earth spins in the clockwise direction.

Importance of Earth Rotation

Some of the importance of the rotation of the Earth are listed below:

The Earth's rotation creates the diurnal cycle of lightness and darkness, temperature and humidity changes.

The Earth's rotation causes tides in the oceans and seas.

Revolution of the Earth

The movement of the Earth around the Sun in a fixed path is called a revolution. The Earth revolves from west to east, i.e., in the anticlockwise direction. The one revolution of the Earth around the Sun takes around one year or precisely 365.242 days. The revolution speed of the earth is 30 km/s⁻¹.

Importance of Revolution

Revolution causes seasons.

Revolution creates perihelion and aphelion. Perihelion occurs when the Earth is closest to the Sun. Aphelion occurs when the Earth is far from the Sun.

Revolution has a direct influence on the varied length of day and night time. The duration of days and nights are the same at the equator. This is known as the equinox. The duration of days and nights vary in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. This is known as solstices.

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Rotation and Revolution of Planets

Difference Between Rotation and Revolution

The table given below provides the basic differences between rotation and revolution.

Rotation of the Earth is turning on its axis.

Revolution is the movement of the Earth around the Sun.

The Earth takes 24 hours to complete a rotation with respect to the sun.

The Earth takes a full year (365 days) for one complete revolution around the Sun

The Earth's axis of rotation is tilted by 23.5 degrees. This tilt causes the different seasons of the year.

The path of the Earth moving around the Sun is called an orbit. The Earth's orbit is elliptical.

Watch the video below to understand what would happen if the Earth stopped spinning

Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs

What is meant by rotation?

A rotation is a circular movement of an object around a centre of rotation.

What is meant by revolution?

Revolution occurs when one body moves around another, while rotation means moving around the axis. For example, the Moon revolves around the Earth, and the Earth revolves around the Sun.

In this video, we have provided important questions and concepts of Rotation for JEE Advanced 2023

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Select the correct answer and click on the "Finish" button
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Earth Rotation and Revolution - Difference between Rotation and Revolution, FAQs

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The Earth takes twenty-four hours to complete a rotation, while it takes 365 days for the Earth to complete a revolution. Revolution happens when one body moves around another, while rotation is the movement of a body around its own axis.

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1. Read this website.

2. Take notes about:

1. What is an equinox?

2. What is a solstice?

3. What happens in each of them?

4. Why do they happen?

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What is an equinox?

Equinoxes occur when the Earth's axis is neither tilted away from nor towards the Sun, resulting in equal day and night lengths worldwide. There are two equinoxes each year: the vernal (spring) equinox and the autumnal equinox. During the vernal equinox, which takes place around March 20th, the Sun crosses the celestial equator, and day and night are of approximately equal length in both hemispheres. Conversely, the autumnal equinox, around September 22nd, marks the transition from summer to autumn, once again bringing a balance between daylight and darkness.

What is a solstice?

Solstices, on the other hand, mark the extreme points of the Earth's axial tilt. During the summer solstice, around June 21st in the northern hemisphere, the North Pole leans towards the Sun, resulting in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. In the southern hemisphere, this date marks the winter solstice, where the South Pole is tilted away from the Sun, leading to the shortest day and the longest night. Conversely, the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere (around December 21st) and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere bring about a reversal in the lengths of day and night.

The occurrence of equinoxes and solstices is due to the Earth's axial tilt of approximately 23.5 degrees and its elliptical orbit around the Sun. As the Earth revolves around the Sun, different parts of the planet receive varying amounts of sunlight, creating the changing seasons. Equinoxes and solstices act as key markers in this seasonal cycle, representing important astronomical events that affect climate, agriculture, and cultural celebrations worldwide.

Cultural significance

Equinoxes and solstices have held significant cultural and spiritual importance across different civilizations throughout history. Many ancient cultures built monuments aligned with these celestial events, such as Stonehenge in England and Chichen Itza in Mexico. These structures served as astronomical observatories, indicating the precise moments of equinoxes and solstices. Various cultural celebrations and festivals are also linked to these celestial events, symbolizing the transition of seasons, rebirth, and renewal.

Equinoxes and solstices are often accompanied by unique natural phenomena that inspire awe and wonder. For example, during the equinoxes, a phenomenon called the "equinox sun alignment" occurs at certain locations, where the rising or setting Sun aligns perfectly with architectural features, casting stunning shadows or illuminating specific areas. Additionally, solstices are associated with mesmerizing natural occurrences like the midnight sun in polar regions, where the Sun remains visible for 24 hours during the summer solstice.

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What are equinoxes and solstices? - Science Mill

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Twice a year, the Earth's axial tilt and its elliptical orbit around the Sun create spectacular astronomical events known as equinoxes and solstices. These celestial occurrences mark significant moments in our planet's journey around the Sun and have captivated human curiosity for centuries.

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1. Learn about galaxies with this website.

2. Take notes with your own words.

1. What is a galaxy?

2. How is our galaxy called?

3. How can we see our galaxy?

4. How many galaxies are there in the universe?

5. What shape can galaxies have?

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We live on a planet called Earth that is part of our solar system. But where is our solar system? It's a small part of the Milky Way Galaxy.

A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems. A galaxy is held together by gravity. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, also has a supermassive black hole in the middle.

When you look up at stars in the night sky, you're seeing other stars in the Milky Way. If it's really dark, far away from lights from cities and houses, you can even see the dusty bands of the Milky Way stretch across the sky.

There are many galaxies besides ours, though. There are so many, we can't even count them all yet! The Hubble Space Telescope looked at a small patch of space for 12 days and found 10,000 galaxies, of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Some scientists think there could be as many as one hundred billion galaxies in the universe.

Some galaxies are spiral-shaped like ours. They have curved arms that make it look like a pinwheel. Other galaxies are smooth and oval shaped. They're called elliptical galaxies. And there are also galaxies that aren't spirals or ovals. They have irregular shapes and look like blobs. The light that we see from each of these galaxies comes from the stars inside it.

Sometimes galaxies get too close and smash into each other. Our Milky Way galaxy will someday bump into Andromeda, our closest galactic neighbor. But don't worry. It won't happen for about five billion years. But even if it happened tomorrow, you might not notice. Galaxies are so big and spread out at the ends that even though galaxies bump into each other, the planets and solar systems often don't get close to colliding.

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1. Watch this video and answer the questions:

1. What is a star?

2. Why do they give heat and light?

3. What is our most important star?

4. Are there different kinds of stars? What are some differences?

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1. Read and answer the questions:

1. What are constellations?

2. What names do they have?

3. Can we see the same constellations everyday from anyplace on Earth? Why?

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There are a few different definitions of constellations, but many people think of constellations as a group of stars. Often, it's a group of stars that looks like a particular shape in the sky and has been given a name. These stars are far away from Earth. They are not connected to each other at all. Some stars in a constellation might be close while others are very far away. But, if you were to draw lines in the sky between the stars like a dot-to-dot puzzle - and use lots of imagination - the picture would look like an object, animal, or person.

Over time, cultures around the world have had different names and numbers of constellations depending on what people thought they saw. Today, there are 88 officially recognized constellations.

What constellations can you see in the night sky?

The constellations you can see at night depend on the time of year. Earth orbits around the Sun once each year. Our view into space through the night sky changes as we orbit. So, the night sky looks slightly different each night because Earth is in a different spot in its orbit. The stars appear each night to move slightly west of where they were the night before.

Your location on Earth also determines what stars and constellations you see, and how high they appear to rise in the sky. The Northern Hemisphere is always pointing in a different direction than the Southern Hemisphere. This means that stargazers in Australia, for example, get a slightly different view of the sky and can see a few different constellations than those in the United States.

It can be a little confusing to picture how the night sky changes as we orbit the Sun. You can see how it all works in the illustration below.

For example, say you're in the Northern Hemisphere looking into the night sky on September 21. You'll probably be able to see the constellation Pisces. But you won't see Virgo because that constellation is on the other side of the Sun. During that time of year, Virgo's stars would only be visible during the daytime - but you'd never see them because of the brightness of our Sun.

Want more? Our star finder activity is a great way to have some fun and learn about the constellations visible in our night sky each month.

What's the difference between astrology and astronomy?

Astronomy is the scientific study of everything in outer space. Astronomers and other scientists study stars and galaxies, most of which are many light-years away from Earth. Studying the scientific properties of these objects in space helps us to understand how the universe was made, what else is out there, and how we fit in.

Astrology is not the same thing as astronomy. As a science, astronomy follows the scientific process involving evidence and data. Astrology is based on the belief that the location of certain stars and planets in the sky can predict the future or describe what a person is like. While astrology is important to some cultural traditions, its claims are not based on scientific evidence.

How does NASA use the constellations?

Stars and constellations stay in approximately the same spot for many, many years. They only appear to move in the sky during the year because we are on a moving planet. Because the constellations are in a fixed location, they are often used as landmarks in the sky. Many stars, nebulae, and other objects are named after the constellations they are found in.

For example, meteor showers are named for the constellation where the meteors appear to be coming from. So, for example, the Orionids meteor shower, which occurs in October each year, appear to come from the same direction as the constellation Orion the Hunter.

Known stars, such as those in well-known constellations, can also be used to navigate. For centuries, sailors used stars to determine their location when out at sea. This is called celestial navigation. NASA astronauts have also trained to use celestial navigation as a backup in case modern navigation systems have trouble.

Robotic spacecraft also use maps of the stars to find their way. They carry a star map in their onboard computers and compare these star maps to patterns of stars in images they take. So, in a way, patterns of stars are as helpful today as they were to ancient navigators.

Additional resources:

What's Up: A Monthly Skywatching Summary
What Are Asterisms?

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Learn more about what these groups of stars can (and can't) tell us about our place in the universe.

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1. Read and learn about satellites.

2. Answer the questions with your own words:

1. What is a satellite?

2. How many types of satellites do you know?

3. Give two examples of satellites (one natural and one artificial)

4. Why are satellites important?

5. How do they orbit the Earth?

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What Is a Satellite? | NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids

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A satellite is anything that orbits a planet or a star.

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1. Watch the video and answer the questions:

1. What is a light-year?

2. How fast does light travel? (in km)

3. How long does the light of the Sun take to reach the Earth?

4. 1 light years equals how many km?

5. Why do we use the light-years to measure distance?

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What is a Light Year for Children? 60 Second Science Questions for Kids - FreeSchool

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1. Create a lapbook that presents all the information you collected.

2. Divide your project to present it to the class.

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1. Read and find out the difference between Astronomy and astrology.

2. Make a table where you compare them.

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The terms "astronomy" and "astrology" are sometimes mixed up, but they actually mean very different things. While they both deal with planets and other celestial objects, astronomy is a scientific discipline, whereas astrology is a divinatory belief system.

Astronomy is the field of science that studies objects and phenomena in space. Astronomers apply physics, mathematics, and chemistry to explain the origins and behaviors of planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies, and other celestial bodies, as well as the Universe as a whole.

Astrology, on the other hand, is a divinatory practice based on the belief that the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies - particularly the Moon, Sun, and planets of the Solar System - can influence people and events. Although astrology involves real celestial objects, constellations of stars that can be seen in the night sky, and known phenomena such as apparent retrograde motion, astrology has no scientific basis and is considered a pseudoscience.

"Mercury in retrograde" is one of the most searched terms relating to the planet. Astrological interpretations aside, apparent retrograde motion is an interesting phenomenon that has to do with orbital speeds and observer perspective.

The etymology of astronomy and astrology

One reason why astronomy and astrology can sometimes be confused is that they are similar words. Both stem from the Greek word "astron" (ἄστρον), which means "star."

The word "astronomy" combines "astron" with "nomos" (νόμος), the Greek word for "law" or "culture." The word "astrology" combines "astron" and "logia" (λογία) meaning "study of" or "discourse." Both words describe the effort to understand the stars, but each field does so in its own way.

The history of astronomy and astrology

The similar etymological origins of astronomy and astrology hint at the two fields' shared ancient roots. In ancient Babylonian, Greek, Chinese, Mayan, and other cultures, civilizations began observing the stars for both practical purposes (like navigation and agriculture) and spiritual or divinatory functions. Astrology and astronomy were one single discipline for hundreds of years. In medieval Europe, for example, astrology was considered a scholarly tradition that many educated individuals studied alongside astronomy.

However, astronomy and astrology increasingly diverged as scientific methodologies developed during the Renaissance and Enlightenment. Better tools and theoretical frameworks allowed astronomers to observe and understand the Cosmos, developing and proving theories about the physical Universe through empirical study. Astrology progressed along a different, more metaphysical path, and its lack of empirical support defined it as a pseudoscience, aligning more with personal belief systems than with natural science.

Constellations An unlabeled map of constellations divided according to the 12 zodiac signs.

The zodiac according to astronomy vs astrology

Three thousand years ago, the Babylonians observed that from Earth's perspective, the Sun appears to move through 12 of the charted constellations over the course of a year. This led to the development of the signs of the zodiac, a foundational part of astrology today. But astronomers have pointed out in recent years that the Babylonians' observations were not completely accurate, and that the 12 zodiac signs have become even less accurate over time.

The biggest inaccuracy is the number 12, since the Sun actually moves through 13 constellations in a year, including Ophiuchus. The zodiac calendar was also simplified, with each of the 12 constellations arbitrarily assigned a full month, although the Sun's path is not that evenly divided. And third, because the Earth wobbles on its axis, the Sun's apparent path through the stars today is different from the path it would have taken 3,000 years ago when the zodiac was devised. This difference actually results in a one-month shift in the stars' alignments.

Because astrology is not a science, these inaccuracies have not widely affected how people practice it. Although some astrologically-inclined people who used to identify as Sagittarius might now call themselves Ophiuchus, the field as a whole has not adapted to this new information.

Astrology has changed in response to other, less threatening, advances in astronomy. For example, the dwarf planet Pluto became incorporated into astrological models after it was discovered in 1930. This pick-and-choose reaction to new information is what differentiates pseudosciences like astrology from sciences like astronomy.

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What is the difference between astronomy and astrology?

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The words may be similar, but astronomy (a science) and astrology (a divinatory practice) are very different things.

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Stars and the sky have being studied almost since the beginning of humans.

1. Read pages 12 and 13 on your Social Science book.

2. Make a timeline where you show the different advances in astronomy. Since the early astronomers until the present with robots.

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1. Read and learn about the discoveries in astronomy.

2. Take notes about the different discoveries in astronomy and who did them.

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Kids learn about astronomy, the study of outer space including the stars, planets, comets, black holes, and the Solar System. History and astronomers in this astronomy for teachers and kids section.

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1. Investigate about the different Space Missions.

2. Choose the 2 you consider the most important and explain them with your own words.

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Fun Kids - the UK's children's radio station

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Since Russia's Sputnik 1 satellite entered space on 4 October 1957, thousands of spacecraft - including Earth satellites and deep-space probes - have launched into the cosmos. In these past five decades space travel has truly come on leaps and bounds, with the development of liquid and solid fuels and the use of solar panels and radioactive power sources among many of the impressive innovations, allowing space agencies across the planet to undertake evermore ambitious missions that would once have never been thought possible. Here, we've picked our choices for the ten most successful missions that have advanced the field of space travel to a whole new level.

Don't agree with our choice for number one? Leave us a comment and let us know which spacecraft you would've picked.

The purpose of NASA's Pioneer missions was to learn about the outer reaches of the Solar System. These two spacecraft were, at the time of their launch, the two most scientifically advanced vehicles to venture into the Solar System. They contained a number of technical instruments that had never been used in space before, which included a charged particle instrument to measure the extent of the Sun's influence as they travelled towards the edge of the Solar System, and an ultraviolet photometer to determine the composition of Jupiter's atmosphere. While communication was lost in 2003 (Pioneer 10) and 1995 (Pioneer 11), the probes continue to make their way out of the Solar System, with each possessing an on board plaque detailing the origins of the spacecraft lest they are ever discovered by intelligent life-forms from another world. The Pioneer spacecraft were Earth's first deep space probes, and they held the record for being the furthest manmade objects from Earth until they were overtaken by the Voyager probes in the 1990s.

The Venera missions have been Russia's most successful space exploration missions to date. 23 separate probes were launched in total to the hottest planet in our Solar System, Venus, between 1961 and 1984, with 10 of these landing on the surface and the rest remaining in orbit or entering the scorching planet's atmosphere. Each Venera lander was a technical marvel, withstanding temperature of up to 462 degrees Celsius (864 degrees Fahrenheit) to remain operational on the surface of Venus for up to two hours. They returned key data about the surface of the planet, including detailed information on the planet's atmospheric structure and its surface temperature.

Credit: JAXA/Akihiro Ikesita

Japan's Hayabusa probe was the first spacecraft to return a sample from an asteroid, but it wasn't without its problems. A fuel leak rendered its chemical engines unusable and, coupled with a variety of mechanical failures, the probe was forced to limp home on its weaker ion engines. It eventually arrived three years behind schedule in 2010, but the mission was a success. The use of ion engines on spacecraft has become more and more popular as, although they are not as powerful as chemical engines, they provide continual thrust for a much longer amount of time, allowing the vehicle to gradually build up speed rather than experiencing a large 'push' from a chemical engine at the start of its journey and subsequently being left to drift.

In 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first man to travel to space, and the spacecraft that took him there for 68 minutes was somewhat of a rudimentary sphere known as Vostok 1. As this was the first manned craft to leave Earth orbit, extra precautions were taken that would later be deemed unnecessary for future space missions. Gagarin was not able to freely move around the cabin, nor was he able to manually control the spacecraft, owing to the fact that scientists were unsure how humans would cope in the weightless environment of space. Nonetheless, in the timeline of space exploration Vostok 1 is undoubtedly one of the most important spacecraft of all time.

NASA's five space-faring Space Shuttles were the largest spacecraft of all time, and each completed numerous key missions that defined them as some of the most important vehicles to enter Earth orbit. Their various accolades include taking the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit (and later repairing it) and launching more than 80% of the modules for the International Space Station. There were 135 missions in total, but two of these ended in tragedy. The Challenger spacecraft exploded 73 seconds after launch in 1986, while in 2003 the Columbia spacecraft was torn apart on re-entry. Both lost all their crewmembers. While the Shuttles will be remembered largely as a success, these two disasters serve as a constant reminder of how dangerous it can be to attempt to take humans into orbit and return them to Earth.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University/Southwest Research Institute

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft will become the first man-made probe to fly by Pluto upon its arrival in 2015. While its primary mission is to study what was the 9th planet in the Solar System at the time of its launch, it has along the way also studied Jupiter and its moons. The New Horizons probe is the fastest probe to leave Earth's orbit, attaining a speed of of over 36,000mph (58,000 kph) after launch. It is currently more than 21 times further from the Sun than the Earth, beyond the orbit of Uranus. At that distance it takes almost 3 hours to send or receive a signal from the probe.

The Pioneer spacecraft may have been the first deep space probes but they were not the last. The Voyager program was designed to explore Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, but as the probes remained in operation the mission was extended to include the study of the edge of the Solar System, the boundary into interstellar space, which they are currently entering. Like several missions before and after, the Voyager probes both receive power from three radioisotope thermoelectric generators, using a plutonium-238 isotope to provide continual energy. On board each of the Voyager probes is a compendium of sounds and imagery from Earth known as the Golden Record, which also contains instructions on how to locate Earth should it one day be found by an alien race.

NASA's Galileo spacecraft was taken into space by Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1989 and sent on its way to study Jupiter following flybys of Venus and Earth. It was the first spacecraft to obit Jupiter, in addition to performing the first flyby of an asteroid on its way to the gas giant. It also carried the Galileo Space Probe, which it released into the atmosphere of Jupiter in 1995, providing unprecedented data about the composition of the atmosphere of the largest planet in our Solar System. In 2003 the orbiting spacecraft was sent crashing into Jupiter, where it immediately burnt up, to prevent it accidentally crashing on and contaminating a nearby potentially life-harbouring moon in the future.

If you didn't know Apollo 11 was the first manned spacecraft to land on the Moon then you might need to brush up on your space knowledge. However, what you may not know is some of the revolutionary technology that was used on this famous mission. Apollo 11 was launched atop the most powerful rocket of all time, the Saturn V. The spacecraft was composed of two sections, the lunar module and the command module, the latter of which remained in orbit around the Moon with Michael Collins on board and the former taking astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the surface. Apollo 11 paved the way for a further five successful missions to the Moon, each spending several days on the lunar surface.

Our pick for the greatest space mission of all time is the Cassini-Huygens probe, which is a joint mission between, NASA, the ESA and ASI (Italian Space Agency). The orbiting component of the probe flew by Jupiter and became the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, although it was only the fourth spacecraft to visit the latter. The landing vehicle was the Huygens probe, which landed on Saturn's moon Titan on 14 January 2005 and returned images of the surface, the first and only successful landing in the outer Solar System. Like many other deep space probes it is powered by the isotope Plutonium-238, which has allowed its mission to be extended to 2017 as it travels further through the Solar System. Throughout its mission it has made countless important discoveries about the outer Solar System and it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Since Russia's Sputnik 1 satellite entered space on 4 October 1957, thousands of spacecraft - including Earth satellites and deep-space probes - have launched into the cosmos.

Over the last 6 decades, space travel has come on leaps and bounds, with the development of liquid and solid fuels and the use of solar panels and radioactive power sources among many of the impressive innovations, allowing space agencies across the planet to undertake evermore ambitious missions that would once have never been thought possible.

Ten key missions that have advanced the field of space travel to a whole new level are:

Pioneer 10 and 11
1972 - 2003

These two spacecraft were, at the time of their launch, the most scientifically advanced vehicles to venture into the Solar System.

They contained a number of technical instruments that had never been used in space before, which included a charged particle instrument to measure the extent of the Sun's influence as they travelled towards the edge of the Solar System, and an ultraviolet photometer to determine the composition of Jupiter's atmosphere.

While communication was lost in 2003 (Pioneer 10) and 1995 (Pioneer 11), the probes continue to make their way out of the Solar System, with each possessing an on board plaque detailing the origins of the spacecraft lest they are ever discovered by intelligent life-forms from another world.

The Pioneer spacecraft were Earth's first deep space probes, and held the record for being the furthest man made objects from Earth until they were overtaken by the Voyager probes in the 1990s.

Venera probes
1961 - 1984

23 separate probes were launched to the hottest planet in our Solar System- Venus

10 landed on the surface, whilst the rest remained in orbit or entered the scorching planet's atmosphere.

Each Venera lander was a technical marvel, withstanding temperature of up to 462 degrees Celsius to remain operational on the surface of Venus for up to two hours.

They returned key data about the surface of the planet, including detailed information on the planet's atmospheric structure and its surface temperature.

Hayabusa
2003 - 2010

A fuel leak rendered its chemical engines unusable and, coupled with a variety of mechanical failures, the probe was forced to limp home on its weaker ion engines. It eventually arrived three years behind schedule in 2010, but the mission was a success.

The use of ion engines has become more and more popular as, although they are not as powerful as chemical engines, they provide continual thrust for a much longer amount of time, allowing the vehicle to gradually build up speed rather than experiencing a large 'push' from a chemical engine at the start of its journey and subsequently being left to drift.

Vostok 1
1961

The Space Shuttle
1981 - 2011

New Horizons
2006 - Present

Voyager 1 and 2
1977 - Present

Galileo
1989 - 2003

Apollo 11
1969

Cassini-Huygens
1997 - Present

The orbiting component of the probe flew by Jupiter and became the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, although it was only the fourth spacecraft to visit the latter.

The landing vehicle was the Huygens probe, which landed on Saturn's moon Titan on 14 January 2005 and returned images of the surface, the first and only successful landing in the outer Solar System.

Like many other deep space probes it is powered by the isotope Plutonium-238, which has allowed its mission to be extended to 2017 as it travels further through the Solar System.

Throughout its mission it has made countless important discoveries about the outer Solar System and it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Click here to go to Deep Space High HQ!

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Top 10 key space missions - Fun Kids - the UK's children's radio station

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Since Russia's Sputnik 1 satellite entered space on 4 October 1957, thousands of spacecraft - including Earth satellites and deep-space probes - have launched into the cosmos.

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1. Create a lapbook that presents all the information you collected.

2. Divide your project to present it to the class.

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1. Create a lapbook that presents all the information you collected.

2. Divide your project to present it to the class.