EARTH, MOON AND SUN

Sun, Earth and Moon in Space

The earth's nearest neighbor in space is the moon

The moon is smaller than the earth
Farther out in space is the sun which is very much bigger than both
the earth and the moon
Out there in space, the sun, earth and moon appear only as tiny
specks of dust. These are because space is so vast it is not yet known
where it starts and where it ends

Movements of the Earth

A rotation is a circular movement of an object around a center (or point) of
rotation.
Direction of the Earth's Rotation
The sun does not move from east to west as it seems to do. The earth
rotates on its axis counterclockwise. This means it moves from a west-toeast direction. This is the reason why the sun seems to move from east to
west.
If the earth did not rotate you would see the sun in the same position all the
time.
Period of the Earth's Rotation
There are about 12 hours of daytime and 12 hours of nighttime which
make one whole day. The earth makes a complete turn on its axis in one
day.
There are 24 hours in a day so the earth makes one complete rotation in a
day.

Revolution

Revolution is the movement around the sun.

The earth's path around the sun is called orbit. Orbit the (usually elliptical)
path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another. It moves
around the sun from west to east.
Period of the Earth's Revolution
The earth rotates as it revolves. The time it takes the earth to revolve
around the sun is called a year. You can tell that the earth has completed
one revolution whenever a year ends. A new year starts after midnight on
December 31. The earth will then start a new journey around the sun which
will take another year to complete.
There are 365 1/4 days in one year to be exact. However, if you count the
number of days in a calendar year, you would count only 365 day except
when it is a leap year when there would be 366 calendar days.
A leap year occurs every four years. In a leap year, the month of February
has 29 days instead of 28 days.

Movements of the Moon

The moon revolves around the earth. At the same time, it rotates on its axis.
The moon rotates once on its axis as it makes one revolution around the
earth. It takes the moon about 27 1/3 days to rotate on its axis.
It also revolves around the earth once in about 27 1/3 days. This is the
reason why you always see the same side of the moon.

Why the moon seems to Change Its Shape

The shape of the moon we see depends on its position in relation to the
position of the sun and the earth. The changes in shape of the moon which
we seem to see are called the phases of the moon.
New moon- the moon id between the sun and the earth, we cannot see it
because the sun shines on the side of the moon away from the earth.
Crescent moon- after one or two days, we see a small edge of the moon
lighted.
First quarter- after about a week, half of the moon is lighted.
Gibbous moon- after a few days, we see more than half of the moon
lighted.
Full moon- after a week, the whole side of the moon facing the earth
becomes lighted. This happens when the earth is between the sun and the
moon. After a day or two, the lighted part becomes less; we again see a
gibbous moon.
Last quarter- after about a week we see only half of the moon's face.
After a day or two, the lighted part becomes smaller producing a crescent
moon. After one week, we do not see the moon at all. This means that the
moon will undergo its different phases again.
It takes about 29 days for the moon to go through its different phases. The
exact number is 29 1/2 days. The period of time within which the moon
undergoes its different phases is called month.
The moon does not have its own light. It only reflects the light from the
sun. From the earth, we can only see the part of the moon that reflects
sunlight.
The amount of light it reflects is affected by the position of the earth, sun
and moon as the earth revolves around the sun and the moon revolves
around the earth.

Eclipses

The moon can cast a shadow on the earth and the earth can cast a shadow
on the moon.
Eclipse of the Sun
The ball casts a shadow on a part of the globe. The part of the globe covered
by the shadow becomes dark while the part not covered by the shadow is
not as dark.
Solar eclipse- when the moon comes exactly in line between the sun and
the earth, the moon blocks the sunlight. It casts a shadow on the earth. The
place covered by the dark shadow of the moon becomes very dark.
Lunar eclipse- when the earth comes between the sun and the moon, the
earth casts a shadow on the moon. When this happens, the moon
disappears.

Safety Measures during a Solar Eclipse

1. Use pinhole cameras and telescopes or binoculars to observe an
eclipse leads to an understanding of the optics of these devices.
2. Exposure of the retina to intense visible light causes damage to its
light-sensitive rod and cone cells.
3. It is never safe to look at a partial or annular eclipse, or the partial
phases of a total solar eclipse, without the proper equipment and
techniques.
References:
Coronel, C. and Abracia, N.,(2000), Science and Health Textbook for Grade
Four.Quezon City, Philippines: SD Publications, Inc.
B. Ralph Chou, MSc, OD Associate Professor, School of Optometry, University
of Waterloo Adapted from NASA RP 1383 Total Solar Eclipse of 1999 August
11, April 1997, p. 19. URL: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/safety2.html

Prepared by: Chloe A. Gamuza