Solar System

Aims

Pupils should gain an understanding of:

• The apparent daily and annual movement of the Sun and other stars being caused by the movement of the Earth;
• The relative positions of the Earth, Sun and planets in the solar system and that gravitational forces determine the movements of planets around the Sun;
• The Sun and other stars are light sources and that the planets and other bodies are seen by reflected light;
• Artificial satellites are used to observe the Earth and to explore the solar system;
• The fact that the Earth moves around the Sun and not the other way round;
• Gravity is the force which keeps the planets in orbit around the Sun;
• The fact that the bigger something is the stronger its gravitational field;
• The Sun and the other stars as light sources – giving out their own light;
• The fact that we see the Moon and other planets by reflected light.