How Does the Sun Affect Earth? Unit 1 Key Concepts 6th Grade GEMS Space and Science Sequence

Unit 1.2 The Sun is a star.

Unit 1.2 Scientists use models to demonstrate ideas, explain observations, and make predictions.

Unit 1.2 The Sun is about 150,000,000 km away from Earth.

Unit 1.2 Only a tiny amount of all matter and energy that the Sun puts out comes toward Earth.

Unit 1.3 The visible light our eyes can detect is a part of a larger spectrum of electromagnetic energy.

Unit 1.3 The Sun radiates the full spectrum of electromagnetic energy.

Unit 1.3 The solar wind is a constant stream of charged particles that the Sun puts out.

Unit 1.4 Solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CME’s) occur during solar storms, when the Sun is active.

Unit 1.4 A solar flare releases large amounts of electromagnetic energies and solar particles into space.

Unit 1.4 A CME ejects particles and material from the Sun’s corona at high speeds into space.

Unit 1.4 Particles released by solar-storm events - such as solar flares and CME’s - travel much more quickly that particles in the solar wind.

Unit 1.4 The amount of particles and energy put out by the Sun is not constant.

Unit 1.4 Scientific explanations are based on evidence gathered from observations and investigations.

Unit 1.5 Sheilds at various altitudes prevent some solar energies from reaching Earth’s surface.

Unit 1.5 The magnetosphere sheilds Earth from solar particles at a very high altitude.

Unit 1.5 The changing shape of Earth’s magnetosphere during a solar storm can leave satellites and astronauts unshielded.

Unit 1.6 Everyone, especially those at high altitudes, should be concerned about ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

Unit 1.6 Earth’s ozone layer shields us from some of the Sun’s ultraviolet energy.

Unit 1.7 Various materials can shield a person from UV radiation, but some shields are more effective than others.

Unit 1.8 We must all be concerned about bursts of energy from the Sun.