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Class 7 Science — The Earth, the Moon and the Sun

Tell rotation from revolution, explain day, night and the seasons from the Earth's turning and its tilt, and say what lines up during each kind of eclipse.

Name: ________________________

Before you start

The Sun, the Moon and the Earth, lined up for a solar eclipse.

123
  1. 1. The Sun
  2. 2. The Moon
  3. 3. The Earth

The Moon sits between the Sun and the Earth and throws a small shadow onto the Earth's surface. Stand inside that shadow and the Sun is hidden — a total solar eclipse. Stand where the Moon covers part of the Sun and you see a partial one.

  1. 1.Match each kind of eclipse to what is happening.

    • Solar eclipse
    • Lunar eclipse
    • A Moon completely inside the Earth's shadow
    • a total lunar eclipse, with the Moon turned dark red
    • the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth
    • the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon

  2. 2.Why does the Northern Hemisphere have summer in June?

    • a) It is tilted towards the Sun, so the sunlight is more intense and lasts more than 12 hours a day
    • b) The Sun gives out more heat during those months
    • c) The Earth rotates more slowly in June, giving longer days
    • d) It is passing through the part of the orbit nearest the Sun

  3. 3.Seen from above the North Pole, which way does the Earth rotate?

    • a) Clockwise, which is from West to East
    • b) Anti-clockwise, which is from East to West
    • c) Clockwise, which is from East to West
    • d) Anti-clockwise, which is from West to East

  4. 4.Here are the Sun, the Earth and the Moon during a lunar eclipse. Tap the body whose shadow is falling on the Moon.

    Write the number of the part.

    123

  5. 5.The Earth turns about an imaginary line running through its geographic North Pole and South Pole. What is that line called?

  6. 6.How does watching a lunar eclipse differ from watching a solar one?

    • a) A lunar eclipse can be watched safely through binoculars but not directly
    • b) An eclipsed full Moon can be watched safely with the naked eye
    • c) A lunar eclipse also needs eye protection, of a different kind
    • d) A lunar eclipse lasts a few seconds, so there is no time to look

  7. 7.Sort each motion by which of the two kinds it is.

    Groups: Rotation · Revolution

    • The turning that brings day and night
    • The Earth travelling round the Sun
    • The Earth spinning on its own axis
    • The Moon travelling round the Earth

  8. 8.What causes the seasons on the Earth?

    • a) The hemisphere tilted towards the Sun being closer to it
    • b) The Earth being at different distances from the Sun over the year
    • c) The Earth rotating faster in some months than in others
    • d) The tilt of the Earth's axis, together with the Earth's spherical shape

Answer key — Class 7 Science — The Earth, the Moon and the Sun

  1. 1. Solar eclipse → the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth; Lunar eclipse → the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon; A Moon completely inside the Earth's shadow → a total lunar eclipse, with the Moon turned dark red
  2. 2. a) It is tilted towards the Sun, so the sunlight is more intense and lasts more than 12 hours a day
  3. 3. d) Anti-clockwise, which is from West to East
  4. 4. 2 — The Earth
  5. 5.
    • axis
    • the axis
    • axis of rotation
    • the axis of rotation
  6. 6. b) An eclipsed full Moon can be watched safely with the naked eye
  7. 7. The Earth spinning on its own axis → Rotation; The turning that brings day and night → Rotation; The Earth travelling round the Sun → Revolution; The Moon travelling round the Earth → Revolution
  8. 8. d) The tilt of the Earth's axis, together with the Earth's spherical shape