Join the adventure in KS2 Science with this space quiz! Explore Earth, our home, and meet our close pals - the Sun (we go around it) and the Moon (it goes around us).
Earth is one of 8 planets dancing around the Sun. It's big with a 40,000 km waistline, but the Sun is a whopping 109 times larger! The Moon is special - not a planet but our buddy, circling Earth. Some planets have lots of moons; Jupiter has 67! The Sun is super hot, like 5,500 degrees Celsius, but luckily, Earth is way cooler!
Test your space smarts with this fun science quiz about Earth, the Sun, and the Moon!
Are Quizzes the Key to Children's Success?
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You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - The Moon
The Sun is a star and the Moon is a moon
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The Moon is the Earth's natural satellite, which means it orbits the Earth
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24 hours is the length of one day and is caused by the Earth spinning (rotating) on its axis. Remember: the Sun does not orbit the Earth!
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The Moon takes approximately 28 days to travel around the Earth. It also takes approximately 28 days to rotate on its own axis
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The Moon's shape doesn't change - it is always near-spherical - instead, its appearance changes throughout its 28 day orbit as different parts of it are in shadow
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Only one half (one hemisphere) of the moon is lit by the Sun, just as only one half of the Earth at any one time is lit by the Sun - on the other side it is night-time, and dark. Because the Moon is continuously orbiting, we can't always see all of its sunlit hemisphere from the Earth
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The Moon also passes through a Last Quarter phase, as well as Crescent (less than half full) and Gibbous (more than half full) phases
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When the dark hemisphere of the moon is completely facing the Earth, it is described as a new moon
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The Moon is only 239,000 miles away from the Earth. In space terms, that makes the Moon our next-door neighbour!
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Lunar eclipses last a few hours. It's completely safe to look at the Moon during an eclipse without using eye protection - of course, you must never look directly at a solar eclipse (which is when the Moon blocks our view of the Sun for a few minutes)
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