← Earth, Moon, and the Sun

Lesson 17 of 19

The big picture

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Here are the thirteen ideas.

Earth, Moon and the Sun — the whole chapter on one screen
Idea	Remember
Two motions at once	Earth turns once a day. It goes round the Sun once a year.
One face only	The Moon turns once in each trip round Earth. So one face always points at us.
Three in a line	A body in the way makes a shadow. If it lands on another body, that is an eclipse.
Solar eclipse	In a solar eclipse the Moon is between the Sun and Earth. Its shadow lands on a small part of Earth.
Lunar eclipse	In a lunar eclipse Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. Earth shades the Moon.
Not every month	The Moon's path is tilted about 5°. At most New Moons, its shadow misses Earth.
Watching safely	Never look straight at the Sun, even in an eclipse. A lunar eclipse is safe to watch.
Sun across the sky	Earth turns from west to east. The Sun seems to rise in the east. It seems to set in the west.
Day and night places	Half of Earth faces the Sun, so it is day there. Places in the east see sunrise first.
Pole Star	The Pole Star sits almost over Earth's north pole. So it hardly moves. Other stars circle it.
Night sky in a year	A star rises about 4 minutes earlier each night. After one year it is back at about its first time.
Seasons	Earth's axis leans. In June the north leans toward the Sun. So its sunlight is stronger.
Longest day	In the north, the longest day is near 21 June. The shortest is near 22 December.

Every idea here is a motion, a tilt or a shadow.

Now open Chapter 12 in your NCERT book. You have already met the chapter's eclipse ideas here.