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Study Guide – Chapter 12 – Earth and Space Science
Learn these 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.
Learn these facts:
Living things need heat and light. The Sun supplies Earth with
heat and light energy
The Sun is the closest star to Earth. The Sun is so bright that
you cannot see other stars during the day.
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.
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.
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.
Stars in the night sky look small because they are far away. A
constellation is a group of stars that form a picture.
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.
The Sun is the center of our solar system. All of the objects in
our solar system orbit the Sun.
 Review the Quick Study lessons from your Science folder.