8th Grade Earth, Moon, and Sun

Earth, Moon, and Sun Seasons: A season is a year that is distinguished by its climate conditions and position relative to the Sun. There are four seasons; spring, summer, fall, and winter. Each follows one the other as stated. The Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere experience the seasons at different times of the year due to the way the Earth tilts on its axis. This tilt causes some areas of the Earth to receive more sunlight and heat than other areas, explaining why when it is summer in the United States, it is winter in Australia, which is on the opposite side of the globe. Winter: In the Northern Hemisphere, winter generally begins at the end of December on the winter solstice. The day of the winter solstice contains the least number of hours of daylight and the most number of hours of dark compared to any other day of the year. In the winter, the Earth has tilted away from the Sun. It receives less sunlight, contributing to the typical winter, cold weather. Spring/Autumn: In the spring and autumn seasons, there is no specific part of the earth that is tilted towards or away from the Sun. During these months, the weather is more or less average and changes gradually as it leaves the previous season or approaches the next season. The spring season follows winter and comes before summer. The autumn or fall season comes after summer and before the winter season. Summer: In the Northern Hemisphere, summer begins with the summer solstice near the end of June. On the day of the summer solstice, the number of daylight hours is significantly larger than the number of dark hours. During summer, the temperature is higher as the portion of the Earth experiencing this season is tilted more towards the Sun and thus receives more of its heat. It can get so hot that droughts could potentially occur and make the ground unsuitable for plant growth. Moon Phases: Moon phases describe how the moon looks and where it is in terms of its revolution around the Earth. The moon takes about twenty-eight days to revolve around the Earth and within those days, we can break up the way the moon looks into eight phases: ❖ New Moon ❖ Waxing Crescent Moon ❖ First Quarter Moon ❖ Waxing Gibbous Moon ❖ Full Moon ❖ Waning Gibbous Moon ❖ Third Quarter Moon ❖ Waning Crescent Moon The moon is not physically changing shape throughout its revolution. The amount of sunlight that the moon receives determines what is reflected at us. The Sun always illuminates one side of the moon while the other side is dark. Phases Explained: ❖ New Moon: The moon can not be seen. There is no sunlight being reflected. ❖ Waxing Crescent Moon: There is a thin crescent shape on the left side of the moon ❖ First Quarter Moon: The whole left half of the moon is lit. ❖ Waxing Gibbous Moon: The midpoint between the full moon being lit and only the half left side. Waxing means it is getting bigger. ❖ Full Moon: The whole moon is illuminated and we can completely see it. ❖ Waning Gibbous Moon: This phase is between a half-moon on the right and a full moon. Here the moon is starting to lose sunlight. Waning means it is getting smaller. ❖ Third Quarter Moon: Half of the moon is lit on the right side. ❖ Waning Crescent Moon: There is a thin crescent on the right side of the moon. After this phase, there will be no sunlight reflecting on the moon and the cycle of moon phases will repeat.