UNIT 1. EARTH AND THE UNIVERSE

5 primary/ Social Science

Pedro Antonio López Hernández

THE UNIVERSE

The Sun and all of its orbiting bodies are called the Solar system.

THE SUN

- 1. It is our star.

- 2. It is 100 times bigger than Earth.

- 3. It has a lots of energy inside that reaches our planet in

the form or heat and light.

- 4. It is constantly changing and no star lasts forever.

THE MILKY WAY- 1. It is the millions of other stars that form part of our Galaxy.

- 2. If we continued travelling even further and further out into

space, we would see even more galaxies.

“All of these galaxies together form our universe”.

What is a light year?

It is the distance a ray of light

travels in one year.

We use the light year to measure

huge distances in the universe.

The Big Bang Theory

About 14 billion years ago, the

universe was compressed into a

single point in space and then a

vast, sudden expansion took

place.

The universe is still expanding.

THE SOLAR SYSTEM

INNER PLANETS

1. They are located closest to the

Sun.

2. They are also the smallest planets.

3. They are made mostly of rocks

and metals.

Planets

- They are celestial bodies that orbit around the Sun.

- The ecliptic path each planet travels is called its orbit.

- They are non-luminous because they don´t emit their own light.

- Some planets have satellites.

1. It is the smallest planet.

Its rocky surface has lot

of craters. 166 ºC

2. Its surface is covered

by a thick layer of

clouds. 457 ºC

3. It is rocky, but most of its surface is covered

by water.

It´s surrounded by an atmosphere. 15 ºC

4. The iron in its rocky

surface makes it look red.

60 ºC

5. It is the largest planet. It has over 60

satellites.

-108 ºc

6. It is the second largest planet. It

has rings around it made of ice and

dust.

-148 ºC

7. It spins

almost

completely on

its side.

-200 ºc

OUTER PLANETS

1. They are located furthest

from the Sun.

2. They are made mostly of gas,

they are also the largest

planets.

3. They have many satellites.

8. Despite its bright blue

colour, it has no water.

-197 ºC

EARTH´S MOVEMENTS

Earth´s rotation

1. Earth spins on its axis.

2. Earth´s rotation causes our

days and nights.

* Axis: It is an imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole.

Earth takes 24 hours

to completely spin

around its axis.

A day: when the Sun´s raysreach the planet.

A night: when Sun´s rays don´treach the planet.

EARTH´S MOVEMENTS

Earth´s revolution

1. Earth orbit around the Sun.

2. Earth takes one year to orbit

completely around the Sun.

THE SEASONS

The Sun´s rays reach Earth at different angles

as it moves around its orbit

This causes “ THE SEASONS ”.

Spring

It is warmer

and the days

get longer.

Summer

There are strong

Sun´s rays because

they reach you

directly. It is very hot.

Autumn

The days are shorter.

It begins to get

colder.

Winter

It is very cold

because the Sun´s

rays reach you less

directly.

The days are short.

GLOSSARY

*Hemisphere:

One half of a

sphere.

* Tilted: Inclined.

THE MOON

The Moon orbits

• It is Earth´s only

natural satellite.

• Its rotation and

revolution last 28

days.

• Its light is a

reflection of the

Sun´s rays shining on

it.

Phases of the Moon

These changes depending on:

• The position of the Moon during its rotation

and revolution.

• The light shining on it from the Sun during

each of its movements.

LAYERS OF THE ATMOSPHERE

It is the layer of gases that surrounds Earth and make life possible on it. The atmosphere protects livings things from the Sun´s

radiation and keeps temperatures stable. The most abundant components are nitrogen, oxygen and water vapour.

1. TROPOSPHERE

It is the closest layer to Earth. It has the most

oxygen which allows life on the planet. It

also has the most water vapour, which later

becomes rain.

2. STRATOSPHERE

It has the ozone layer that protects Earth

from most of the Sun´s radiation.

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3. MESOSPHERE

It is the coldest layer. We can see

falling stars when they reach this layer.

4. THERMOSPHERE

It is where falling stars

and the aurora borealis

are formed.

5. EXOSPHERE

It separates Earth from outer spaces. It helps protect Earth from

meteorites and other celestial bodies from reaching its surface.

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THE HYDROSPHERE

It is the layer of water that covers Earth´s surface. Although there is always the same amount of water in the hydrosphere, it has three

different states.

SOLID

Ice and snow in the coldest

areas of the planet.

GASEOUS

Water vapour and clouds

in the atmosphere.

LIQUIDAll the fresh water we find in rivers, lakes and underground water are continental

waters.

Oceanic water is the salt water in the seas an oceans.

THE GEOSPHERE

It is the layer of rocks and minerals inside the Earth from its centre to its surface.

THE CORE

It is a sphere made up of heavy,

dense materials like iron.

This layer has the highest

temperatures.

THE CRUST

It is the thinnest and outermost layer.

It forms the continents and islands.

It is made out of a serie of large plates

called tectonic plates.

THE MANTLE

It is the middle layer. It is the thickest one and its

high temperatures melt the rocks, turning them

into magma that volcanoes expel.

Sometimes, the movement of these rocks cause

earthquakes.

The Earth´s radius is 6,371 km.

EARTH´S VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS

A GLOBE is a more physically accurate representation of our planet A MAP represent Earth, or part of it, on a flat

surface.They use the cardinal points and colours and

symbols that are explained in a legend.

TYPES OF MAPS AND

GLOBES

• Physical maps: They

represent relief.

• Political maps: They

represent the political

distribution of the planet

• Thematic maps: They tell

us data about the

countries, like its

economy.

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GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATESThe equator

It is the imaginary circumference that divides Earth into two

hemispheres: north and south. It is the starting point from which we

measure the Earth´s latitude. North Pole

South Pole

The Greenwich Meridian

It is the imaginary line that connects the poles. It is

the starting point from which we measure the

Earth´s longitude and the world's time zones.

Time zones

Earth is divided into 24 imaginary vertical bands

called time zones. All times start from the

Greenwich Meridian and add one hour as it moves

to the east or subtracts one hour as it moves to the

west.

Parallels

They are the lines of latitude that are parallel to the equator. They

measure a point (coordinate) on a map or globe that is to the

north or south of the equator.

Meridians

They are the lines of longitude that are parallel to the

Greenwich Meridian. They measure a point (coordinate) on

a map or globe that is to the west or east of the Greenwich

Meridian.