The Space Systems:

Patterns and Cycles

What is the sun?
The sun is actually a
star!

A star is a large, fiery
ball of gas in the sky.

There are millions of
stars in our galaxy.
Why Does the
Sun Really
Shine?
The sun creates
shadows, like the
shadows of trees or
your own!

These shadows can
create shade that
help keep us cool.
Heat
Heat occurs when something
becomes hot.

The Sun provides heat for our
planet, Earth.

Light
Light allows everyone to see.
Without light, everything
would be so dark!

The Sun provides light for
our entire planet Earth.


Sun Patterns
The Sun rises in the east and
sets in the west.

What does this mean?

In the morning, when you wake
up, the Sun comes up on the
right. At night, the Sun goes
down on the left.
Seasons
There are four
seasons on Earth!
Spring
Summer
Autumn (Fall)
Winter

Day and Night
The Earth spins on an axis. Because
one side is away from the sun, one
side of the Earth is day, and the
other is night as it is spinning.
Stars
The stars create
constellations, which you can
see when you look up at the
sky at night.

Astronomy is the study of
stars, planets, and moons in
our solar system.
Astronomers are the
scientists that study
everything in space.
Stars and Constellations
Constellations are the
different patterns or
pictures of stars in the
sky.

For example, who has
heard of the Big Dipper?
Moon
The moon is a large, round object
that circles the Earth and shines
brightly at night!

It looks like that because it acts
like a mirror to the Sun.
The Phases of the Moon
There are eight phases of the
moon depending on where the
moon is between the Earth and
the Sun.

A waxing moon is when you see
the right side of the moon.
A waning moon is when you see
the left side of the moon.
Lets Review!
Compare day and night.

What is an astronomer? What do they
do?

What is a star?

What is the Sun? What changes do you
see happen to the Sun during the day?
How does the Sun give us
seasons?

What does the Sun provide?

What is the moon?

How does the shape of the moon
change throughout a month?