Space Facts for 6th Grade Following are a series of slides related to our study of space. You are responsible for the definitions given you in class. You are also responsible for the material listed on the concept sheet. The links are for you to enjoy but will be gone over in class so aren’t required. The movie referenced below is 44 minutes long and detail 13 of the greatest Astronomy discoveries of all time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB_Qfngi0mo

big bang theory A cosmological theory holding that the universe originated approximately 20 billion years ago from the violent explosion of a very small agglomeration of matter of extremely high density and temperature. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDQzKTedGNE

Earth The Earth is the third planet in order from the sun,having an equatorial diameter of 7926 miles (12,755 km) and a polar diameter of 7900 miles (12,714 km), a mean distance from the sun of 92.9 million miles (149.6 million km), and a period of revolution of 365.26 days. Earth has one satellite, the moon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwwioJhQzeg

hemisphere A hemisphere is half of the terrestrial globe or celestial sphere, especially one of the halves into which the earth is divided. Southern Hemisphere Northern Hemisphere Eastern Hemisphere Western Hemisphere http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYwA_8qMt9I

axis An axis is a line about which a rotating body, such as the Earth, turns.

equinox An equinox is one of two date(s) at which the axis of the sun is directly parallel the sun. March 21 and Sept 21. Equinoxes are days in which day and night are of equal duration. The two yearly equinoxes occur when the Sun crosses the celestial equator.

solstice A solstice is one of two date(s) at which the axis of the sun is pointed directly toward or away from the sun. June 21 and December 21 The solstices are days when the Sun reaches its farthest northern and southern declinations. The winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22 and marks the beginning of winter (This is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.). The summer solstice occurs on June 21 and marks the beginning of summer (This is the longest day of the year. In the northern hemisphere).

seasons Seasons are changes in climate (temperature, water, etc.) caused by the position of the Earth’s axis due to receiving different amounts of the sun’s energy as the Earth revolves around the sun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuiQvPLWziQ

tide Tides are the periodic rise and fall of the waters of the ocean and its inlets, produced by the attraction of the moon and sun, and occurring about every 12 hours. http://www.mmscrusaders.com/newscirocks/tides/tideanim.htm

sun The sun is a glowing ball of plasma – a yellow star. The sun contains 99.86% of the mass of the solar system. It is over 99% hydrogen with 1% helium. The Sun is a yellow dwarf star.

solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the moon comes between the sun and a point on the earth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-X4QmWpjBM Solar Eclipse Educational Videoby kohjb51,639 views

star A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. (plasma – a hot glowing ball of gases. The Hertzsprung–Russell diagram is a scatter graph of stars comparing their brightness (absolute magnitude) and temperature (which causes their color). H-R diagrams are not pictures or maps of the locations of the stars. Instead, they plot each star on a graph measuring the star's absolute magnitude or brightness against its temperature and color.

the moon The natural satellite of Earth, visible by reflection of sunlight and having a slightly elliptical orbit. Apollo 11 was the spaceflight which landed the first humans, Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr, on Earth's Moon on July 20, 1969, at 20:17:39 It takes 28 days for the moon to orbit the Earth. Dark areas are called maria (seas) and are flat areas like plains. Light areas are terrae (land) where there a mountains and craters. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTBIr65cL_E&feature=related

phases of the moon The phases of the moon are changes in the moon’s appearance due to its position relative to the sun and Earth.

moon A moon is a natural object that rotates around a planet or planetoid. Earth’s moon revolves around the Earth every 28 days and is about 250,000 miles from Earth. Earth has one moon that stabilizes Earth’s orbit. Saturn has more than 30 moons. Why do we only see one side of the moon? Watch this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZIB_leg75Q&feature=related

lunar eclipse A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes behind the Earth so that the Earth blocks the sun's rays from striking the Moon. During a total lunar eclipse, the moon appears to be red and is still visible. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU-mW-qy4PU&feature=related

rotation A rotation is the act or process of turning around a center or an axis: the axial rotation of the Earth is responsible for night and day and the day length. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=HOPznRRiWOg&NR=1

elliptical rbit An elliptical orbit is the revolving around and object by another object in a path called an ellipse. http://www.windows2universe.org/physical_science/physics/mechanics/orbit/ellipse.html

plane of the ecliptic The ecliptic is the name given to the imaginary line that is drawn on the celestial sphere ( star maps ) that shows roughly the plane of the Solar System http://nineplanets.org/overview.html

revolution A revolution is a single complete cycle around another body in space. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82p-DYgGFjI&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkWyM-M8o0c

solar system The solar system is the collection of planets and their moons in orbit around a sun, together with smaller bodies; asteroids, meteoroids, and comets. Earth’s solar system has eight planets, two planetoids, numerous moons, and other objects. http://www.kidsastronomy.com/solar_system.htm http://www.apples4theteacher.com/starwarp2.html

constellation A constellation is a group of stars given a name by group of people. the hunter the scorpion Ursa Major – the great bear the swan

constellation: Ursa Major (the big bear) North Star Polaris http://www.allthesky.com/constellations/ursamajor/ The name "The Great Bear" seems to have been assigned to the constellation in antiquity, due to its northern latitudes. Only a prodigious bear could live in such a northerly clime.

constellation: Cassiopeia Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty. Cassiopeia was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today. It is easily recognizable due to its distinctive 'W' shape, formed by five bright stars. It is bordered by Andromeda to the south, Perseus to the southeast, and Cepheus to the north. She is opposite the Big Dipper, and from northern latitudes can be seen at her clearest in early November.

constellation: Scorpius (the scorpion) Scorpius is one of the oldest constellations known - possibly even one of the original six signs of the zodiac. Gaia sent the scorpion to kill Orion. The animal would chase Orion across the heavens, but it could never catch him, for the scorpion was so placed that it would rise in the east only after Orion had safely disappeared over the western horizon.

constellation: cygnus (the swan) Several extrasolar planets including HAT-P-7b, HAT-P-11b, HD 185269 b, HD 187123 b and c, Gliese 777 b and c, and 16 Cygni Bb, have been discovered in Cygnus, but the most notable is Kepler 22b, which is believed to be the first "Earth-twin" planet ever discovered, with an estimated average surface temperature of 73 degrees Fahrenheit.

constellation: Orion The middle star in Orion’s sword is actually a nebula, a star that went nova In 1054. Orion is one of the most well-known constellations, visible in the southern sky during northern hemisphere winters. He is generally shown as a hunter attacking a bull with an upraised club, and is easily recognizable by his bright belt of three stars. In addition, his shoulder is marked by the red supergiant Betelgeuse (literally "armpit of the central one" in Arabic), and his left leg is marked by the blue-white supergiant Rigel. According to the versions of the myth which have him killed by Scorpius, the two were placed on the opposite sides of the sky from each other so that they are never visible at the same time.

galaxy A galaxy is an assembly of stars, gas, and dust, usually consisting of millions of stars. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQJQH7lS27s

spiral galaxy A spiral galaxy is a galaxy having a spiral structure. The Earth’s solar system is 2/3 of the way out on one arm of the spiral milky way Galaxy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD9OV1Zrs4I

other types of galaxies There are many types of galaxies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBlIEs73LGw

universe The universe is the entire celestial cosmos. Each of the “stars” shown In these pictures is really a galaxy with millions of stars in each one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEQouX5U0fc&feature=related

black hole A black hole is a region of space time from which nothing, not even light, can escape.

comet A comet is a celestial body that moves around the sun, and as it goes near the sun it forms a vapor trail of dust and gas that streams after it Video on Halley’s comet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8zV1xiGqf4

An asteroid is a small rocky body orbiting the sun.