SPACE

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel through space?

What do you already know about space? Discuss with your group. Each person should write one thing they know about space.

What do you wonder about space?

Create a cover page for this space unit.

The SunMyths About Ancient Sun Gods People in many ancient cultures were

heavily into the sun, to the point of worshipping it as a god. And some of the ancient myths behind these gods might surprise you.

EgyptiansThey called their sun god Ra (Re) and considered him the creator of light and all things. It is believed that humankind was born from the tears of Ra and that he created the first couple: Shu and Tefnut. They were the parents of the earth and sky. Ra was usually depicted in human form with a falcon head, crowned with the sun disc and encircled by a cobra. The sun itself was taken to be either his body or his eye.

GreeksHelios was their sun god. The Greeks believed he drove the sun across the sky from east to west in his golden chariot every day. After sunset the sun sailed back across the ocean.

InuitMalina was and continues to be the sun-goddess of the Inuit people who live in Greenland. Malina and her brother, the moon-god Anningan, lived together. They got into a terrible fight and Malina spread dirty, black grease all over her brother's face. In fear, she ran as far as she could into the sky and became the sun. Annigan chased after her and became the moon. This eternal chase makes the sun alternate in the sky with the moon.

ChineseAccording to Chinese mythology, there were ten suns that used to appear in turn in the sky during the Chinese ten-day week. Only one would go on a journey into the skies. But after some time they decided to appear together in the sky. The heat was too much for the people to handle. They asked the suns to fly solo, but they refused. So their father sent the archer Yi down from the heavens to reprimand the disobedient suns, but he ended up killing nine of the suns and the one that remains is the sun they see in the sky.

The Sun – No Myth The Sun is actually a star. The Sun is made up of mostly hydrogen

and helium, with small amounts of other gases.

The Sun is about 4.5 billion years old. The Sun is the main source of energy

for all living organisms.

Sol Our Sun is not unique in the universe. It

is a common middle-sized yellow star which scientists have named Sol. This is why our system of planets is called the Solar System.

There are trillions of other stars in the Universe just like it. Many of these stars have their own systems of planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.

The Sun was born in a vast cloud of gas and dust around 5 billion years ago.

Over a period of many millions of years, this gas and dust began to fall into a common center under the force of its own gravity.

As matter falls inward, it generates a tremendous amount of heat and pressure.

As it grew, the baby Sun became hotter and hotter. Eventually when it reached a temperature of around 1 million degrees, its core ignited, causing it to begin nuclear fusion.

Nuclear Fusion Nuclear fusion is how stars produce

their light, heat, and energy. Through this process, they “burn” a fuel known as hydrogen.

The result is that they create another type of matter known as helium.

However, stars do not burn in the same way that a fire does, because stars are not on fire.

The Sun is by far the largest object in the Solar System. 98% of all matter within the Solar System is found within the Sun. This means that all the planets, moons, asteroids, minor planets, comets, gas, and dust would all combine to make up only 2% of all the matter in the Solar System.

Because the Sun is so large compared to everything else, it is easily able to hold on to the rest of the matter, causing everything else to orbit around it.

Day and Night Activity Intro: Google Earth Materials (for each pair or group of

students): Globe, Styrofoam ball, or other round

object to represent the Earth Flashlight to represent light from sun Push pin, toothpick or little cut-out

person

Part 1 Put a push pin or tape a little cut-out

person where NB is located. Use a flashlight to shine light onto the

push pin or cut out. Rotate the Earth to the right so the “sun”

travels from east to west and see how the flashlight (sun) causes the push pin to cast a shadow in the same way that the stick cast a shadow from last week.

Stop the globe at a variety of positions and ask:

Where is the sun? What time of day is it? What is the shadow like? Is this like what we saw outside? Discuss your answers.

Discuss the usefulness of each model we used to track the movement of sunlight on Earth.

How are they helpful? How is one more helpful than another?

Part 2 Choose a second location. Rotate the Earth and answer the same

questions comparing the new location to New Brunswick.

Make a chart of observations Where is the sun? What time of day is it?

(use qualitative descriptors for time – dawn, early morning, mid morning, late morning, noon, early afternoon, mid afternoon, late afternoon, evening, sunset)

New Brunswick Second Location

Where is the Sun?What time of day is it?

(Rotate the Earth a bit) Where is the Sun? What time of day is it?

What are you noticing about the times of day in different parts of the world.

Reflection: Journaling

In your notebook draw and explain why it is different times of day at the same moment for (choose 2 Earth locations).

Explain what you think might happen in New Brunswick if the Earth stopped rotating?

Bill Nye - Seasons

The Moon Review page 20 in your text book. Draw and label Crater Aristarchus and

copy the definition for craters.

Making Moon Craters Activity

Moon Craters Using page 22, answers the following

questions:1. When did scientists learn that the craters found

on the moon were from meteor impacts?2. How did scientists know that the craters were

from meteors?3. What did Robert Hooke think made the pock

marks on the surface of the moon? Was he right?

What is Chicxulub?

A Closer Look at the Moon

Research: Why does the moon look larger near the horizon?

Constellations A constellation is a group of stars that,

when seen from Earth, form a pattern.

Asterisms Asterisms are smaller apparent star

patterns within a constellation, like the Big Dipper which can be found in Ursa Major.

Ursa Major

The Constellations of the Northern Hemisphere Andromeda, the princess Antlia, the pump Aquila, the

eagle Auriga, the chariot driver Bootes, the herdsman Caelum, the

chisel Camelopardalis, the giraffe Canes Venatici, the hunting dogs Canis Major, the big dog Canis Minor, the little dog Cassiopeia, the

queen Cepheus, the king Cetus, the whale Columba, the dove Coma Berenices, Berenice's hair Corona Australis, the southern crown Corona Borealis, the northern crown Corvus, the crow Crater, the cup Cygnus, the

swan Delphinus, the dolphin Draco, the dragon Equuleus, the little horse Fornax, the furnace Hercules, the hero Horologium, the clock Hydra, the water snake Lacerta, the lizard Leo Minor, the little lion

Lupus, the wolf Lynx, the lynx Lyra, the harp Microscopium, the microscope Monoceros, the unicorn Ophiuchus, the sepent holder Orion, the hunter Pegasus, the flying horse Perseus, the Medusa killer Pisces Austrinus, the southern fishPuppis, the ship's stern Pyxis, the ship's compass Sagitta, the arrow Sculptor, the sculptor Scutum, the shield Serpens, the snake Sextans, the sextant Telescopium, the telescope Triangulum, the triangle Ursa Major, the big bear Ursa Minor, the little bear Vulpecula, the

little fox

Make Constellations – Part 1 Pick one constellation to research.1. How many stars are in your

constellation?2. Which are the brightest stars?3. Where and when can you see your

constellation in the night sky?4. Find out how your constellation got its

name and what stories have been told about it.

Make Constellations – Part 2 Draw the stars in your constellation on

black construction paper. Use a tooth pick, pencil, and hole punch to make holes where the stars are. Vary the size of the holes according to the brightness of each star.