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Rogue Physicist.  Free resources for physics education © 2006-2016 Dorian Pascoe.  Email: dorian.pascoe@hotmail.co.uk

Most resources are available under a Creative Commons Licence.  Visit our mirror at www.physicsweb.altervista.org

 

 

 

...planets and moons...

 

free simulations, worksheets, videos, images, animations and more.

 

 

 

Objectives:

 

  
 

 

  

 

 

• Know the relative sizes of the planets.

 

 

• Be able to describe the structure of our solar system.

 

 

• Be able to state the names of the planets in order.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Task 1 - Starter

 

  
 

 

Hands up!

 

 

 

 

I know the answer!

 

  

 

Find someone who knows:

 

 

1) The names of the planets in order.

 

2) Three differences between the  terrestrial planets and the gas giants.

 

3) A fact about a planet in our solar system.

 

4) The name of our nearest star.

 

5) The name of a moon in our solar system.

 

6) What a galaxy is, and the name of our galaxy.

 

7) What an asteroid is and where most asteroids are found.

 

8) What a comet is, and the shape of its orbit.

 

9) What causes shooting stars, and the difference between a meteor and a meteorite.

 

10) What satellites are, and some of their uses.

 

 

 

Your teacher will you which questions to discuss.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Task 2a - Planets and moons

 

  
 

 

 

I live on the third rock from the Sun.

 

 

  

 

Look at the image below.  It shows the size of the gas giant planets, compared to the terrestrial planets.

 

By Lsmpascal - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18141684

 

 

 

 

Your teacher will take you on a tour through our solar system, and show you some images of planets and moons from this presentation.

 

 

Click the image above to download the powerpoint presentation.

 

 

 

Next: ADD CLOZE ACTIVITY OR SIMILAR

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Task 2a - Moons and phases

 

  
 

 

  

 

Use the applet below to find out why the moon exhibits phases.

 

 

Applet credit: Nebraska Astronomy Applet Project.  See more great applets at http://astro.unl.edu

Click here to load the applet in full screen.

 

Your teacher will explain what the following terms mean: waxing, waning, new moon, full moon, gibbous moon,

 

 

Click here to load the applet in full screen.

 

 

http://astro.unl.edu/classaction/animations/coordsmotion/eclipticsimulator.html

 

 

<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="970" height="710"><param name="movie" value="eclipticsimulator.swf" /><!--[if !IE]>--><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="eclipticsimulator.swf" width="970" height="710"><!--<![endif]--><p>flash animation</p><!--[if !IE]>--></object><!--<![endif]--></object>

 

 

Next: ADD SEASONS APPLET and ADD CLOZE ACTIVITY OR SIMILAR

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Task 3 - Different types of stars

 

  
 

 

 

I already know a mnemonic!

 

 

 

 

 

[Note: add Stellarium logo & link to software]

 

 

 

 

  

 

MOVE THIS TO STARS AND GALAXIES LESSON

 

Most stars are much larger than planets.  Watch this video, which shows you the relative sizes of some objects in our solar system, and compares them to stars of varying sizes.

 

 

Video credit: YouTube

 

 

 

 

 

Your teacher will give you a tour of some constellations, and show you some different types of stars, using the Stellarium planetarium software.

 

 

 

STELLARIUM LINK/ACTIVITY DETAILS

 

  

 

 

STELLARIUM LINK/ACTIVITY DETAILS

 

 

 

 

Task 4 - Fill in the missing words.

 

  
 

 

 

  

 

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Homework - Star gazing!

 

  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Try to observe some of the constellations you learned about in class.

 

 

Which constellations did you manage to observe?

Is your constellation visible all year round, or only at certain times of year?

What time did you observe?

What position was the constellation in the sky?  Draw a diagram.

Find out about the mythology associated with your constellation.