Astronomy: Earth Place in the Solar System
Understanding Earth's position, motion, and neighbors
Astronomy: Earth Place in the Solar System
Understanding Earth's position, motion, and neighbors
Astronomy - Grade 4-5
- 1
List the first four planets in order from the Sun.
Earth is the third planet from the Sun.
The first four planets in order from the Sun are Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. - 2
What number planet is Earth from the Sun?
Earth is the third planet from the Sun. - 3
Explain why the Sun is important to Earth.
Think about what daytime and warm weather have in common.
The Sun is important to Earth because it gives Earth light and heat. This energy helps keep Earth warm enough for living things and helps plants grow. - 4
Earth spins once on its axis about every 24 hours. What does this spinning cause?
Earth's spinning causes day and night. The side facing the Sun has day, and the side facing away from the Sun has night. - 5
Earth travels around the Sun once in about 365 days. What do we call this length of time?
Think about how long it takes to have a birthday again.
We call this length of time one year. One year is the time it takes Earth to orbit the Sun once. - 6
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: Earth orbits the Sun in a path called an orbit, which is shaped like a nearly round oval called an ____.
Earth's orbit is shaped like a nearly round oval called an ellipse. - 7
Name Earth's natural satellite.
This object can often be seen in the night sky.
Earth's natural satellite is the Moon. It travels around Earth. - 8
How are Earth and the Moon different?
Earth is a planet that orbits the Sun, while the Moon is a natural satellite that orbits Earth. Earth also has air, liquid water, and many living things, while the Moon does not have these in the same way. - 9
Which two planets are Earth's closest neighbors in order from the Sun?
Look at the order Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars.
Earth's closest neighbors in order from the Sun are Venus and Mars. Venus is closer to the Sun than Earth, and Mars is farther from the Sun than Earth. - 10
Explain why Earth is called a rocky planet.
Earth is called a rocky planet because it has a solid surface made of rock and metal. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are all rocky planets. - 11
Write one reason Earth can support life.
Think about what plants, animals, and people need.
One reason Earth can support life is that it has liquid water. Earth also has air and temperatures that allow many living things to survive. - 12
Look at this list: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Which planets are closer to the Sun than Earth?
Mercury and Venus are closer to the Sun than Earth because they come before Earth in the order of planets from the Sun. - 13
Look at this list: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. Which planets are farther from the Sun than Earth?
Planets listed after Earth are farther from the Sun.
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are farther from the Sun than Earth because they come after Earth in the order of planets from the Sun. - 14
A model shows the Sun as a basketball and Earth as a small bead placed far away. What does this model help show about the solar system?
This model helps show that the Sun is much larger than Earth and that there is a lot of space between objects in the solar system. - 15
A student says, "The Sun goes around Earth once each day." Explain what is wrong with this idea.
Think about the difference between what we see from Earth and what is really moving.
The idea is wrong because Earth spins on its axis once each day, making the Sun appear to move across the sky. Earth orbits the Sun, not the other way around.