Solar system Ssekwe Robert

SOLAR SYSTEM
What is the Solar System?
The solar system is a group of bodies in space that are held together by the force of gravity. The sun is at the
center of the solar system. All other celestial bodies orbit (revolve) around the sun. These include; planets,
moons, asteroids, comets, meteors and other objects.

The Sun:
The Sun is a giant ball of hot gases that provides light and heat to our solar system. Therefore, it is the main
source of almost all energy available on earth. The sun is the nearest star to the earth.
It is the largest object in the solar system and its gravity keeps all the other solar system objects to remain
orbiting around it.

The Planets:
There are eight planets in our solar system. Each planet moves in its own path called orbit. Planets are
divided into two groups namely; inner planets and outer planets.
❖ Inner Planets:
✓ Mercury: This is the nearest planet to the Sun. It is very hot during the day and very cold at
night. It is the smallest planet.
✓ Venus: It is similar in size to Earth but much hotter. It has thick clouds that trap heat.
✓ Earth: This is our home planet. It has water and air (oxygen) to support human life.
✓ Mars: It is known as the Red Planet because of its reddish colour. Scientists are very
interested in studying Mars.
❖ Outer Planets (giant planets):
✓ Jupiter: This is the largest planet in our solar system. It is about 318 times heavier than earth.
✓ Saturn: It has rings made of ice and rock around it. It is the least dense among all planets.
✓ Uranus: It rotates on its side (tilted) and has a blue-green colour due to its atmosphere.
✓ Neptune: It is known for its deep blue colour and strong winds.

Moons:
Moons are natural satellites that orbit planets. For example, Earth has one moon, Mars has 2 moons, Jupiter
has over 70 known moons while Mars and Venus have no known moons.

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Other Objects:
Asteroids: These are small rocky objects that mostly found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Comets: These are made of ice, dust, and rocky materials. They have a bright head with a long glowing tail
and the length of the tail grows in size as it approaches towards the sun.
Dwarf Planets: The solar system contains hundreds of dwarf planets like Pluto and Ceres

EARTH’S ROTATION ABOUT ITS AXIS EVERYDAY

Earth is always moving. Each day, the Earth makes one
complete rotation on its axis.
Note: The earth’s axis is the imaginary line through the
earth that moves from the North Pole to the South Pole.
As Earth rotates, it seems like the sun is moving across the
sky, but it’s really the Earth that is spinning from west to
east. This is the reason why sun rises in the east and sets in
the west. It takes 24 hours to complete one rotation, which
is why there are 24 hours in one day.
In other words, if the sun is visible in the morning starting
around 6:00 AM, the Earth will spin completely around by
the next morning at 6:00 AM and you will see the sun in
about the same place.

How the Earth orbits the Sun

The earth orbits (revolves) around the sun in an elliptical path (oval-shaped path), but its very close to being
circular. It takes the Earth approximately 365.25 days to complete one orbit around the Sun. This period is
known as a year.

Because the Earth takes more than 365 days (about 365.25 days) to orbit the Sun, we add an extra day to the
calendar every four years (to make February 29th) to account for the extra 0.25 days. This year is called a
leap year and it has 366 days.
On average, the Earth is about 150,000,000 𝑘𝑚 (93 million miles) from the Sun.
The Earth travels around the Sun at an average speed of about 107,000 𝑘𝑚ℎ𝑟 −1 (66,600 miles per hour).
The Earth’s axis is tilted at an angle of about 23.5 degrees. This tilt causes the change in seasons as the Earth
orbits the Sun.

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How the Moon orbits the Earth

The moon orbits around the Earth in a slightly elliptical path. The Moon takes about 27.3 days to complete
one orbit around the Earth.
The average distance between the Earth and the Moon is about 384,400 𝑘𝑚 (238,855 miles).

The Moon travels around the Earth at an average

speed of about 3,680 𝑘𝑚ℎ𝑟 −1 (2,288 miles per
hour)
As the Moon orbits the Earth, different parts of it
are illuminated by the Sun, which we see from
Earth as the phases of the Moon. The cycle of
phases (New Moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, Last
Quarter) takes about 29.5 days and is known as a
lunar month. This means the moon takes 29.5 days
to change from present moon to New Moon.

What causes day and night?

The occurrence of night and day is primarily caused by the
Earth's rotation on its axis. Earth rotates or spins around an
imaginary line called its axis, which runs from the North
Pole to the South Pole.
As Earth rotates on its axis, the side of Earth facing towards
the Sun gets light and heat. People living on this side of the
Earth experience day.
The opposite side of Earth that is not facing the Sun is in
darkness because it doesn’t receive sunlight and heat. People
living on this side experience night.

As the Earth keeps rotating (spinning) on its axis, different parts of it move into and out of the sunlight,
creating a continuous cycle of day and night. Since the Earth is always spinning, it is daytime in some places
and night time in others at the same time.

NOTE:
▪ Day and night are caused due to the Earth rotating on its axis, but not because of its orbiting around the
sun.
▪ Since the earth’s axis of rotation is tilted, the lengths of day and night may not be the same across
different parts of the Earth. E.g., In dry seasons (summer), day time is longer than expected i.e., it can
exceed 12 hours.

Why its day in Uganda when its Night in United States of America?
As the Earth rotates about its axis, different parts of the world move into and out of the Sun’s light.
When it’s daytime in Uganda, that part of the Earth where Uganda is located is facing the Sun and receiving
sunlight.
At the same time, the part of the Earth where America is located is facing away from the Sun, making it
nighttime there.
Therefore, if it’s 12:00 noon in Uganda, it would be 4:00 AM or 5:00 AM in New York, depending on the
time of year.

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PHASES OF THE MOON

The Moon does not produce its own light. We can see the Moon because it reflects light from the Sun.
When the Moon orbits (rotates around) the Earth, its appearance when viewed from the Earth changes
because different parts of the Moon are illuminated by the Sun at different times.
Therefore, the Moon appears to change shape over time because of the way sunlight illuminates different
parts of the Moon as it orbits the Earth. These changing shapes are called the phases of the Moon.

NOTE:
▪ The size of the illuminated part of the moon that we can see from Earth varies, depending on the angle
that we are viewing from. This changes as the Moon orbits Earth, and Earth orbits around the Sun.
▪ The moon takes 29.5 days to change from the present moon to the new moon. This is called the lunar
month.

Over the course of a lunar month, the Moon goes through the following eight phases:
1. New Moon: The Moon is between the Earth and the Sun and the side of the Moon facing the Earth is
dark, so we can’t see it.
2. Waxing Crescent: A small part of the Moon starts to be illuminated. We see a thin crescent shape on the
right side.
3. First Quarter: Half of the Moon is illuminated. We see the right half of the Moon illuminated.
4. Waxing Gibbous: More than half of the Moon is illuminated. We see almost the whole right side of the
Moon.
5. Full Moon: The Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. The entire face of the Moon is illuminated and
looks full and round.
6. Waning Gibbous: After the full moon, the light starts to decrease. We see almost the whole left side of
the Moon.

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7. Last Quarter: Half of the Moon is illuminated again. This time we see the left half of the Moon lit up.
8. Waning Crescent: Only a small part of the Moon is illuminated. We see a thin crescent shape on the left
side.

Did you know?

The Islamic calendar with 12 months is based on the Moon's phases. Each
month starts with the sighting of the new moon.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It is a special
month when Muslims fast from dawn until sunset.
The beginning of Ramadan is determined by the sighting of the new moon.
When the new moon is sighted, the month of Ramadan begins.

OCCURRENCE OF SEASONS ON EARTH

The Earth’s axis is not straight up and down. Instead, it is tilted at an angle of about 23.5°. Because of the
Earth's tilt, different parts of the Earth get different amounts of sunlight at different times of the year.
As Earth orbits (rotates around) the Sun, different parts of the earth are tilted closer or further from the Sun,
because of the tilt in Earth’s axis. Therefore, different parts of the Earth get different amounts of sunlight at
different times of the year.
It is the angle of the Earth's tilt that causes the seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter.
The figure below shows how the same part of the earth experiences different seasons throughout the year
Spring Equinox

Autumn (Fall) Equinox

What causes Summer and Winter?
When a part of the Earth is tilted toward the Sun, it gets more direct sunlight and experiences summer. The
days are longer and warmer.
When that same part of the Earth is tilted away from the Sun, it gets less direct sunlight and experiences
winter. The days are shorter and cooler.

S N N S

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Example of the Seasons
Northern Hemisphere (Above the Equator):
− Between June and August; The Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, so it’s summer there.
− Between December and February; The Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, so it’s
winter there.
Southern Hemisphere (Below the Equator):
− Between June and August; The Southern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun, so it’s winter
there.
− Between December and February: The Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, so it’s
summer
At the equator:
− Near the equator, the temperature stays relatively warm all year round because this area always gets
direct sunlight.

Therefore, when it is summer in the northern hemisphere, it is winter in the southern hemisphere. When it is
winter in the northern hemisphere, it is summer in the southern hemisphere.

What is an Equinox?
An equinox is an astronomical event that happens twice a year. It marks the time when day and night are
nearly equal in length all over the world.
During an equinox, the length of day and night is almost the same, roughly 12 hours each.
There are two equinoxes each year namely:
▪ Spring Equinox (around March 20th)
▪ Fall Equinox (around September 22nd)

HOW CHANGE OF SEASONS AFFECT HUMAN ACTIVITIES ON EARTH

Uganda is near the equator, so it doesn’t experience the extreme seasonal changes like in some other parts of
the world. But instead, Uganda has a wet season and a dry season.
Seasons have a big impact on many activities on Earth. They affect what we do, how we dress, and even
what we eat. The following are effects of seasons on human activities on earth.

❖ Agriculture:
Seasons greatly affect farming activities. For example;
− During the wet season (March-May, September-November); it’s the best time for planting crops
because the rain helps seeds to germinate and grow.
− During the dry season (December-February, June-August); it’s the best time to harvest crops that
were planted during the wet season.

❖ Clothes:
− During wet seasons, people wear waterproof clothes like raincoats, gumboots and sweaters.
− During dry seasons, People wear lighter clothing because it’s usually hotter.

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❖ Transport:
− During wet seasons, roads can become muddy and difficult to use, affecting transportation. There is
also less use of boda bodas because of fear of getting wet when its raining.
− During dry seasons, roads are easier to use, so travel and transportation are more convenient.

❖ Outdoor activities:
−
− During dry seasons, it is a good time for outdoor events like sports, picnics, wedding celebrations
and music festivals because the weather is always favourable compared to that of rainy seasons.
Christmas and New Year’s celebrations in Uganda often fall in the dry season

❖ Wild life and Nature:

Seasons greatly influence animal behaviour and plant growth.
− In wet seasons, animals have plenty of water and food. For example, many birds in Uganda are more
active and visible during this time. Trees and plants grow more rapidly, making forests and fields
always green.
− During dry seasons, some animals migrate to find water. For instance, elephants might move to areas
with permanent water sources. Some plants shed their leaves to conserve water, and the landscape
can look dry and brown.

OCCURRENCE OF ECLIPSES
Eclipses occur due to the rotation of the earth and the moon around the sun.

What is an Eclipse?
An eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align themselves in a straight line or nearly straight line.
Therefore, one celestial body (either moon or Earth) moves through the shadow of another body blocking
light from the sun.
There are two main types of eclipses namely; solar eclipses and lunar eclipses.

Solar Eclipse:
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. Therefore, the Moon blocks
the Sun's light from reaching the Earth.

Solar eclipses can only occur during a new moon when the Moon is directly between the Earth and the Sun.

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Types of Solar Eclipses:

(a) Total Solar Eclipse: The Moon completely covers the Sun, and it becomes dark as night for a short
time.
(b) Partial Solar Eclipse: Only part of the Sun is covered by the Moon.
(c) Annular Solar Eclipse: The Moon covers the center of the Sun, leaving a ring-like appearance.

Lunar Eclipse
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon. Therefore, the Earth blocks the
Sun’s light from reaching the Moon. Since we are standing on Earth, what we see is that the moon gets dark.

Lunar eclipses can only occur during a full moon when the Earth is directly between the Sun and the Moon.

Types of Lunar Eclipses:

(a) Total Lunar Eclipse: The Earth’s shadow completely covers the Moon, and the Moon can appear red,
known as a "blood moon."
(b) Partial Lunar Eclipse: Only part of the Moon enters the Earth’s shadow.
(c) Penumbral Lunar Eclipse: The Moon passes through the outer part of the Earth’s shadow, causing a
small shading.

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OCEAN TIDES

Imagine you have a big basin with some water. If you push down on one side of the basin, the water rises on
the other side and vice versa. The rise and fall of water in the sides of the basin is known a tide. This rise
and fall of water levels is experienced at large water bodies like oceans.

What are ocean tides?

Ocean tides are the rise and fall of sea levels around the world.
There are two forms of tides namely;
• High Tide: This is when the water rises to its highest level.
• Low Tide: This is when the water falls to its lowest.

What causes Ocean tides?

Moon’s
gravity pulling
water from
the ocean

Ocean tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun, and also due to the rotation of the
Earth. The Moon’s gravity pulls on the Earth's water, causing the water to bulge out (rise) on the side of the
Earth that is facing the Moon. This creates a high tide.
As the Earth rotates, different parts of the Earth face towards the moon and others face away. Oceans on the
side of Earth facing the Moon and the opposite side will have their water rise, causing high tides.

Therefore, high tides occur on the side of the Earth facing the Moon and on the opposite side. Low tides
occur in the areas between these two high tides.
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NOTE:

The Sun’s gravity also affects tides, but its influence is less than the Moon’s because the Sun is much
further away from the Earth. Therefore, the Sun’s gravity may a very low impact on the formation of
tides.
The size of the high and low tides change over the month. During a full moon or a new moon, the Sun,
Moon and Earth are in straight line. The combined gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun causes
higher high tides and lower low tides.

Did you know?

If you visit a beach in the morning, you might see the water level (high tide) close to the shore. Sometimes
the water comes up very close to where you are sitting. In the afternoon, the water level (low tide) might be
much lower, exposing more beach area. The water is far away, and you have more sandy beach to play on.

Why Earth is the Only Planet That Supports Life?

Earth is the only known planet that supports life because it has favourable conditions that make it possible.
For example;
✓ Earth is just at the right distance from the Sun, so it’s not too hot and not too cold. Therefore, its
habitable.
✓ Earth has lots of liquid water (like oceans, lakes, and rivers). Water is essential for all living things.
✓ Earth’s atmosphere has the right mixture of gases, including oxygen, which we need to breathe.
✓ The atmosphere protects life from harmful solar radiation. It also helps regulate temperature by trapping
heat through the greenhouse effect.
✓ Earth has a magnetic field that shields the planet from harmful solar wind and cosmic radiation, which
could destroy the atmosphere and harm living organisms.
✓ Earth has a stable climate, which means it doesn’t get too hot or too cold for life to survive.
✓ Earth’s tilt gives us seasons, which help different kinds of plants and animals to grow.
✓ Earth has fertile soil that provides essential nutrients and minerals needed for plant growth, which
supports food chains.
✓ Earth’s gravity is strong enough to keep our atmosphere and water in place but not so strong that it
would crush us.

What is the Asteroid Belt?

This is a region in space where many small rocky bodies, called asteroids, orbit the Sun.
The asteroid belt is located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in our Solar System.
The gravitational forces from the Sun and Jupiter prevent these rocks from combining to form a planet.

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ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE

Scientists have gathered a lot of evidence and information about the origin of the Universe.
They have used their observations to develop a model called the Big Bang to help explain its formation and
evolution.

The big bang theory

The big bang theory states that the universe began about 13.8 billion years ago from a very small, hot, and
dense point. From this tiny point, the whole Universe expanded outwards to what exists today.

The theory suggests that there was a bang (explosion) which enabled protons, neutrons and electrons (atoms)
to form hence expanding the Universe’s space and matter.
Just after this Big Bang, the universe was made mostly of hydrogen and helium atoms. Over millions of
years, gravity pulled these elements together to form stars and galaxies. Up to now, the universe is still
expanding.

Structure of the Universe

The universe is everything that exists e.g., space, time, matter, and energy. It includes everything we know
and even things we don’t fully understand yet. It includes all galaxies, stars, planets, moons, asteroids ,
meteorites and comets and other celestial bodies.
Galaxies are huge collections of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity. The main types of
galaxies are spiral (like our Milky Way), elliptical, and irregular.

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