Skip to content
E1.1 evaluate social, environmental, and economic impacts of space observation and explorationE1.2 evaluate how space observation and exploration technologies contribute to our understanding of climate change, natural disasters, and other phenomenaE1.3 assess ways in which technological innovations related to space observation and exploration are applied in various fields, including their contributions to sustainable practices on Earth
E2.1 describe the importance of the Sun and its characteristics, including its role in the solar system and in sustaining life on EarthE2.2 explain how the Sun’s energy causes natural phenomena on Earth, and how these phenomena contribute to renewable energy productionE2.3 summarize observational evidence used to support theories about the origin and evolution of the universe and the solar system, considering diverse ways of knowingE2.4 describe major components of the solar system and the universe and compare their characteristicsE2.5 quantify distances in the solar system and the universe by applying an understanding of relative distances and sizes and using appropriate units of measureE2.6 conduct investigations to explain the causes of various astronomical phenomena that can be observed from Earth
ecosystem
solstice
eclipse
phases of the moon
constellation
zodiac
Polaris
retrograde motion
heliocentric
geocentric
comet
meteor
aurora
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
E1. Relating Science to Our Changing World
E2. Investigating and Understanding Concepts
E2.1 describe the importance of the Sun and its characteristics, including its role in the solar system and in sustaining life on Earth
Arrangement of the stars
Press the following tabs to explore how the arrangement of the stars in the night sky relates to storytelling, the zodiac, and navigation.
Comets, meteors, auroras
Comets
Cultures around the world noticed comets as they appeared in the sky. Even for civilizations with sophisticated observatories like the Greeks, Chinese, and Mayan, were not able to predict when comets would appear. For this reason, many cultures consider them as signs of the arrival of an important event. Today we know that comets move around the Sun on larger orbits than the planets. Larger orbits mean that comets could take centuries or longer to reappear making it hard to make observations over time.
Explore this!
image.svg+xml failed to upload
Check out the following video of the comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS.
Meteors
Every mid-summer in Ontario people can observe the Perseid meteor shower at night. When some meteor showers occur at the same time each year, it gives us a hint that the meteors must come from a particular place along Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The leftover dust and rocks from a passing comet leave a trail. As Earth passes through this trail the dust and rocks pass through the atmosphere and heat up to the point that they give off light energy. Is this another example of evidence that the Earth is moving?
Explore this!
image.svg+xml failed to upload
Access the following video to learn more about the dust ring around Venus.
Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio/Tom Bridgman
Auroras and the afterlife: Inuit perspectives
Earth passes through solar radiation that is unevenly emitted. To Inuit communities, the bright colouration we call aurora is believed to be a sign of spirits from the afterlife revealing themselves. Many Northern cultures associate aurora with death or spirits. Based on scientific evidence, the aurora is made when the atmosphere interacts with radiation from the Sun. The aurora appearing different over time is evidence that the Sun’s energy is not evenly emitted in all directions.
Explore this!
image.svg+xml failed to upload
Explore the following video from the Canadian Space Agency to learn more about auroras, which are also known as the Northern Lights.
Play Video
Play
Mute
Remaining Time -1:47
Display Transcript
Captions
Fullscreen
Extension activity
To dig deeper and learn more, try to complete the following activity to observe the Sun.
The light from the Sun is too strong to observe directly. Astronomers use filters on solar telescopes to observe the Sun. Another strategy is to make an image of the Sun using a camera or a lens. The first camera created was a pinhole camera. You can make a pinhole camera out of common materials found around the home. The idea is to reuse things that would otherwise go to recycling or the landfill.
Terminology
E2.2 explain how the Sun’s energy causes natural phenomena on Earth, and how these phenomena contribute to renewable energy production
E2.3 summarize observational evidence used to support theories about the origin and evolution of the universe and the solar system, considering diverse ways of knowing
E2.4 describe major components of the solar system and the universe and compare their characteristics
E2.5 quantify distances in the solar system and the universe by applying an understanding of relative distances and sizes and using appropriate units of measure
E2.6 conduct investigations to explain the causes of various astronomical phenomena that can be observed from Earth
Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.
This is not the way.
Try clicking the ··· in the right corner or using a keyboard shortcut (
CtrlP
) instead.