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Earth and Space Study Guide
 Review the Lesson Summaries from your science folder.
 Review the vocabulary words and facts from this study guide.
Vocabulary Words
Axis – An imaginary line around which a planet turns. Earth spins
on an axis.
Rotation – spinning on an axis. Earth makes one complete rotation
each day.
Orbit – the path around something. It takes Earth about one year
to orbit the Sun one time.
Constellation – A group of stars that form a picture. I like to
search the night sky for constellations.
Crater – A hole that is shaped like a bowl. There are many
craters on the surface of the Moon.
Phase – The shape of the lighted part of the Moon. The Moon’s
phases can be seen best at night.
Solar system – the Sun, the planets and their moons, and other
objects that orbit the Sun. Earth is in our solar system
Facts
1. Living things need heat and light. The Sun supplies Earth with
heat and light energy
2. The Sun is the closest star to Earth. The Sun is so bright that
you cannot see other stars during the day.
3. Earth’s rotation causes day and night. When our side of Earth
is facing the Sun, we have day. When our side of Earth is
facing away from the sun, we have night.
4. The sun looks like it rises and sets, but the sun is not really
moving across the sky. It is really the Earth that is moving.
The Earth rotates on its axis, so it appears that the Sun is
high in the sky at noon and low in the sky in the morning and in
the evening.
5. It takes Earth about one year to orbit the Sun one time. The
tilt of Earth and its orbit cause the seasons. In summer, the
part of Earth where we live is tilted toward the Sun. In
winter, the part of Earth where we live is tilted away from the
Sun.
6. Stars in the night sky look small because they are far away. A
constellation is a group of stars that form a picture.
7. The largest and the brightest object in the night sky is the
Moon. The Moon does not make its own light. The Moon
reflects light from the Sun. The shape of the lighted part of
the Moon changes. This shape is called a phase.
8. The Sun is the center of our solar system. All of the objects
in our solar system orbit the Sun.