The solar system
Describe the sun, Earth, and moon as approximately spherical bodies, and describe the movement of the Earth and other planets orbiting the sun in the solar system
What a learner can do afterwards
- State that the sun, Earth, and moon are approximately spherical
- Name the planets in order from the sun and explain they all orbit the sun
- Describe the moon orbiting the Earth while both orbit the sun
The lesson
The sun, Earth, and the moon are all shaped like a ball. We call that shape a sphere. A sphere looks round from every side, not flat like a circle drawn on paper.
You already know the planets in order from the sun. Each one also moves along a giant curved path around the sun. That path is called an orbit.
Zara pictures the moon circling Earth. At the same time, Earth is circling the sun, so the moon travels along with Earth on that bigger trip too. Two loops happen at once: the moon around Earth, and Earth around the sun.
The sun, Earth, and moon are all spheres, and while the planets orbit the sun, the moon orbits Earth too.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.