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Summaries · Grade 5 Natural Sciences › The Earth, the Sun and the Moon
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The Earth, the Sun and the Moon

Day and night, the year and the seasons, the Moon’s phases, tides and eclipses. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.

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Day, night and the year

DayNightSunThe Earth spins once on its axis in 24 hours.
The Earth spins on its axis.
  • The Earth spins from west to east. The half facing the Sun has day; the other half has night. That is why the Sun seems to rise in the east and set in the west.
  • Every fourth year gets an extra day, 29 February: a leap year. This is how the extra quarter day of each year adds up.
  • The sun rises in the east. In the day we cannot see the stars: the Sun’s light is too bright.
  • Near the equator (the middle line around the Earth) it is warmer, because the sun’s rays fall more directly.
  • When it is summer in South Africa, it is winter in Europe: we are in a different hemisphere.
Tap when you could tell someone without looking.

The Moon

NewmoonWaxingcrescentFirstquarterWaxinggibbousFullmoonWaninggibbousLastquarterWaningcrescent
The Moon’s phases, as we see them in South Africa.
  • A satellite is something that orbits a larger body; the Moon is the Earth’s satellite.
  • The Moon’s night side is very cold: there is no air to hold the heat.
  • Lunar eclipse: the Earth is exactly between the Sun and the Moon, and its shadow falls on the Moon.
Tap when you could tell someone without looking.

The Sun and the planets

The Sun is a star: it looks bigger than other stars because it is much closer to us. Never look straight at it. There are eight planets; Jupiter is the largest. A planet is a large, round body that orbits the Sun and has cleared its orbit.

Tap when you could tell someone without looking.

Remember this and test yourself

Remember this: your summary
  • The Earth spins on its axis every 24 hours: day and night. This is rotation.
  • The Earth goes around the Sun in 365¼ days (one year), in an orbit. This is revolution.
  • The axis is tilted about 23.5°: this causes the seasons.
  • The Moon reflects sunlight; a full cycle of phases takes about a month.
  • The Moon’s gravity causes the tides; the Moon has no atmosphere and so no weather.

Write these points in your book. Read them again the night before the test.

Memory trick

The Earth is a spinning top that stands slightly tilted (23.5°): the tilt brings the seasons, the spin brings day and night.

Flash cards · Tap to turn over

Important words

First say what the word means, then turn the card over.

Test yourself · Part 2

True or false?

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