Stars
Our Sun is a star of our solar system. Beyond the planet Pluto, beyond our solar system, are millions of other stars. Our Sun is a medium-sized star, but stars come in many sizes. Stars also range in color. There are red, blue, yellow, and white stars. Some stars circle each other like Earth and the Moon. Sometimes a rare giant star will explode, sending its energy into space and creating a giant cloud of gas. Clouds of gas and dust in space are called...
Taurus the Bull
Taurus (TORE-us) is one of the major constellations of the winter sky. It contains three bright stars and even more Importantly two very bright star clusters. The Bull is above and to the right of Orion the Hunter, who is fighting the Bull and driving it westw across the sky Taurus looks like the front end of a giant bull
Clio
First part of the name for the star system I. Second part of the name of the star system nearest to ours 3. System pertaining to the Sun M. Alpha Centauri is a star _ 5. A vehicle for traveling in spoce 8. From Pluto It would take you another. nearest to our solar system 7. The Sun is one. Ptanet we live on 10. Number of years It would take a thousand years to reach Alpha Centauri. We use the words see or sees to tell about something happening now. We use saw to tell about something that...
Whats Inside
The core of the Earth is its hardest and hottest part. Around the core lies a thick layer, called the mantle, which is hot and rocky. The outside layer of the Earth is the crust. This is where the oceans and the continents are. People, plants, and animals live on the Earth's crust. Color the rocky, hot part of the Earth red. What is it called Color the outside layer blue (for the oceans) or green (for the continents). What is it called Color the rocky, hot part of the Earth red. What is it...
Solar Eclipse Viewing Tube
Long cardboard tube (an old paper towel roll will work great) 1. Cover one end of the cardboard tube with aluminum foil and make a pinhole in the foil at the top. 2. Carefully cut a square viewing port, or hole, on the side of the tube near the opposite end. CL 1 3. Cover that end, but not the viewing port, with white cardboard. 1. Stand with your back towards the Sun. Do not look at the Sun. 2. Hold the viewing port end in one hand and rest the foil end on your shoulder. 3. Move your hand...
Our Planet Earth
Earth has land and water. It gets light and heat from the Sun. Earth has one moon. Earth is the only planet that we know has life. Many people think there is life on other planets. Do you ttiink there is life on other planets Check the sentences about the Earth that are true. Check the sentences about the Earth that are true. Color Draw one yellow moon in the picture. Color Draw one yellow moon in the picture. Draw and color a picture of the Earth.
Our Solar System
When it comes to learning success, help your child reach for the stars. THE COMPLETE BOOK OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM is an essential building block that will let you do just that Brought to you by McGraw-Hill, the premier educational publisher for grades PreK-12, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM is an outstanding learning tool. Not only is it the perfect supplement for science and reading curricula for your child, it's fun too With kid-appealing, full-color illustrations, thus lxx> k offers...
Sunsational Puzzle
If we could travel from the Sun's core, or center, to the surface we would be at the photosphere, which is the surface part of the Sun seen from Earth. Flashes of light seen by scientists on the surface of the Sun are called flares, and dark patches are called sunspots. Sometimes eruptions of gas. called prominences, can also be seen during a solar eclipse. Just above the Sun's surface is a layer of bright gases called the chromosphere. The corona, the region beyond the chromosphere, consists...
Moons Faces
As the Moon orbits the Earth, we often see different amounts of the Moon's lighted part. Sometimes it looks like a circle, half-circle, or thin curved sliver. These different shapes are the Moon's phases. Cut out the Moon's phases (as seen from Earth) at the bottom of this page. Glue them next to the Moon phase as seen from space. Label the pictures using the words in the Word Bank. Use a science book to help you.
Cancer the Crab
Cancer (KAN-sir) is one of the faintest constellations of the zodiac. If it weren't for its membership in the zodiac, few people would have heard of it. It has no bright stars. Cancer is midway between the major constellations Leo and Gemini. It is in the early evening sky from February through May. In Greek mythology. Cancer was a crab that was sent to bite Hercules. Hercules squashed it easily. Ancient Egyptians saw it as a scarab beetle, the Babylonians may have seen it as a turtle, and on...
Earths Nearest Neighbor
Although the Moon looks round, it is slightly egg-shaped and is much smaller than Earth. It is a little more than one-fourth the size of Earth. The Moon does not have an atmosphere to protect it, so it can get as cold as -200 F at night or as hot as the boiling point of water during the dayl While planets in the solar system orbit the Sun, moons travel around the planets. Our Moon orbits Earth 27.3 days, nearly a month. Look at the chart below to find out how many moons each of the planets in...
Earths Twin
Use the words in the Word Bank to complete the story. Venus has been called Earth's twin because it is about the same_as Earth. Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is the planet_to Earth. Venus was also the first planet to be studied by spacecraft. Venus has no moon. Venus has an interesting_, or blanket of gases around it. It reflects, or bounces off, so much of the Sun's __that Venus is easier to see than any other planet. The atmosphere also lets some sunlight in and traps heat_the...
Star Search
On a clear dark night, you can look up in the sky and see about 2,000 stars without the help of a telescope. But unless you know which stars form constellations, all you will be seeing are stars. Carefully poke holes in the Constellation Patterns sheet on page 239, using a sharp pencil. Then, tonight, when it is dark, hold a flashlight behind the paper to make the constellations appear. Below are star charts to further help you recognize the constellations. To use the charts, turn them until...
Strip of Space
Compare the positions ot the planets from the Sun. the Sun yellow Earth green Saturn yellow Mercury brown Mars red Uranus and Neptune blue Venus yellow Jupiter orange Pluto purple 2. Cut out the four strips below. . strip 2 to the right end of strip I strip 3 to the right end of strip 2 strip 4 to the right end of strip 3 (Distanco are to approxknote scale.) strip 2 to the right end of strip I strip 3 to the right end of strip 2 strip 4 to the right end of strip 3 (Distanco are to approxknote...
Fascinating Facts About Mercury
Mercury is the planet nearest to the Sun. It is the second smallest planet in our solar system. No planet experiences more radical temperature changes than Mercury. The temperature can rise to 800 F during the day and drop to -275 F at night. Mercury is a world without an atmosphere. It has no air or life of any kind. It is also covered with thousands of ancient craters. Because it is so near the Sun, Mercury can actually have two sunrises in a single day A solar day on Mercury, from sunrise to...
Moon Facts
Write a word from Origin of the Moon on the previous page that matches 1. A theory that says the Moon originally had an orbit - that was much like Earth's orbit. 2. A theory that says Earth and the Moon were formed - from gas and dust left by the Sun. 3. A theory that says the Moon was pulled out of Earth by the pull from the Sun's gravity. 4. A theory that says a piece of Earth broke off when a body from space smashed into it. 5. The escape theory explains that the Sun's gravity - created this...
Leaning Into Summer
Why isn't it summer all year long The seasons change because the Earth is tilted like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. As the Earth orbits the Sun, It stays tilting in the same direction in space. Let's look at the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere. When the North Pole is tilting toward the Sun, the days become warmer and longer. It is summer. Six months later, the North Pole tilts away from the Sun. The days become cooler and shorter. It is winter. Directions Label the Northern Hemisphere's seasons...
Capricornus the Sea Goat o
The Sun, Moon, and planets pass through Capricornus (kap-rih-KORN-us) as they travel around the sky, making it a constellation of the zodiac. Capricornus is best visible in the early autumn. A sea-goat, also called a goat-fish, is an odd creature you will not find at the zoo. It is a goat with a fish's tail. In Sumerian times about 5,000 years ago, the Sumerians created imaginary new animals by combining familiar animals in strange ways. Sagittarius, half-man and half-horse, and Pegasus, a...
Sagittarius the Archer
The Archer is a prominent and ancient constellation that has many bright stars. You can see Sagittarius (sa-juh-TAIR-ee-us) in summer and early fall evenings, when it is low In the south. A constellation of the zodiac, Sagittarius is a centaur. However, some people see Sagittarius as a teapot. When Sagittarius is in the southwest, the pot is tipped and pouring tea on the tail of Scorpius. Many ancient imaginary creatures are made of two or more animals combined into one. One of the strangest...
The Planets in Our Solar System
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter. Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are the nine planets in our solar system The solar system is made up of these nine planets and their moons. The system also includes all of the asteroids, meteors, and comets that revolve, or orbit, the Sun. Would you like to be able to recite all of the planets in order from the Sun It is easier than you think Try using the pneumonic device below. A pneumonic device is a learning tool that can help you memorize important...
Fast Fall
Do heavy objects fall faster than light objects Background Gravity is a force, or type of energy, that pulls all objects toward Earth. It holds people on the ground and keeps the Moon from flying off into space. If you pick up an object then let go of it, it falls down because of gravity. ball of crumpled aluminum foil What to Do 1. Hold the book in one hand and the rubber ball in the other hand. 2. Put your arms straight out in front of you. Make sure the book and the ball are the same...
Nine Planets Orbit Our
Cut out the nine planets below and paste them in their correct order from Cut out the nine planets below and paste them in their correct order from Each of the planets in our solar system revolves, or travels, around the Sun. The planets circle the Sun along paths called orbits. Because the planets are at different distances from the Sun, each one takes a different length of time to revolve once. -' Dlstoncoi ry* 1. What word means travels around _ 2. What are the planets' paths around the Sun...
Make a Martian Mini Book
Make a mini-book of facts about Mars that is small enough to carry in your pocket. 1. Read the facts about the Red Planet and carefully cut them out. 2. Follow the dashed lines to cut out the pages for your mini-book. 3. Glue one fact to the bottom of each page. 4. Draw and color a mini-picture to go with the fact on each page. 2. The Sun would look much larther away if you were standing on Mars. 3. Since Martian atmosphere j has little oxygen, the sky j would probably...
Libra the Balance Scales
Libra (LEE-bruh) is a box of four medium-bright stars to the right of Scorpius. The box Is standing on one end, resembling a diamond. It Is at its best spot for viewing in the early summer, when It is in the southern sky. Libra is a set of balance scales that work by balancing two pans hanging from a lever, like the scales of justice seen on court buildings. The Sumerians may have originally called these stars scales because the Sun was In front of these stars on the first day of autumn, when...
Beyond Our Solar System
Astronomers know that much lies beyond our solar system. In fact, in the drawing on this page our solar system is just a tiny speck in a larger group of objects in space. This larger group is called the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way is made up of all the stars you can see in the night sky and many more beyond those. II also contains large clouds made of gas and dust. But that's not all Beyond our Milky Way. astronomers have seen millions of other galaxies. Each of these has billions of stars....
Hatter of Time
The Sun can help you tell time with shadows. A sundial, or shadow clock, has something that sticks up from a flat surface, casting a shadow in the sunlight. During the day, the shadow moves. By watching the shadows, you can mark off hours and keep track of the time. Why can't you tell time with a sundial at night 1.Take a notebook-sized piece of cardboard. 2. Stick a 4-Inch pencil Into a small ball of clay. 3. Press the clay near one end of the cardboard as shown in the picture. 4. Take your...
Fascinating Facts About Saturn
Its average temperature is around -274 F Saturn is most famous for its rings. Saturn is the only gas planet whose rings are visible through a telescope or even with a pair of binocularsl Saturn's rings stretch out into space for a distance of nearly 50,000 miles. They are made up of a mixture of ice, rock, and dust. Saturn has a density lower than water. That means that if there were a tub of water big enough, Saturn would float in It One of Saturn's moons is named...
Changing Planet
The Earth today is very different from the day it was formed, and it is still changing. There are mountains, deserts, forests, volcanoes, and oceans. They are all changing every day. 10 of the land surface is covered with ice. The highest point on land is Mount Everest at 2q,028 feet. The lowest point is the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean at 35,820 feet below sea level. Earth is like a giant magnet with north and south magnetic poles. Almost 75 or 3 of the land surface Is under waterl 1....
The Punching Bag Planet
Mercury Is like a punching bag This little planet is covered with thousands of holes called craters. A crater Is a hole caused by a meteorite hitting the surface of a planet or moon. A meteorite is a piece of rock or metal that flies through space and hits a planet or moon. Why do you think so many meteorites hit Mercury There is no air mass or atmosphere to stop them, so they simply bang right into the planet No wonder Mercury looks like a punching bag You will need a small flat pan dirt or...
