ASTRONOMY Shadows are shortest at noon when

the Sun is directly overhead.

Astronomy s the scientific study of The angle of the Sun’s rays also affects the
celestial objects and phenomena that exist beyond direction of the shadow, which is why shadows
the Earth’s atmosphere. change direction throughout the day.

Natural Objects in the Sky

Natural objects in the sky are celestial
bodies that exist in space and can be observed
from Earth. They include the sun, moon, starts,
planets, comets, asteroids, meteors, and various
other phenomena such as auroras and eclipses.
Understanding and studying these natural
objects in the sky helps us gain a better
understanding of the cosmos and our place within
it.

The Role of the Sun in the Water

The Sun Cycle
Sun is a star, and it is the closest star to There are four main parts of the water
Earth. cycle:

The Sun is at the center of our solar system 1. Evaporation

and provides the energy and light that sustains life
on our planet.
Its immense gravitational pull keeps all the
planets in our solar system in their orbits.
It is a massive ball of glass, mostly
consisting of hydrogen and helium, with a
diameter of about 1.4 million kilometers.
The Sun’s core is where nuclear fusion
takes place, which generates energy and heat that
radiates outward, eventually reaching the surface
of the Sun and then continuing out into space.
Nuclear fusion is a process where
two atomic nuclei come together to form a single,
more massive nucleus. The most common fusion
reaction involves two hydrogen nuclei (protons)
combining to form a helium nucleus releasing a
large amount of energy in the process.
The Sun rises in the East sky.
The Sun sets in the West sky.
The Sun’s position in the sky affects the
length and direction of shadows on Earth.
2. Transpiration
3. Condensation
4. Precipitation
The main driving force of the water cycle
is the energy coming from the SUN which warm
bodies of water (oceans, surface, and frozen
water).
1. Evaporation
When the Sun shines on the bodies of water,
such as oceans, rivers and lakes, it heats the
surface and causes water molecules to gain
enough energy to break free and become water
vapour. This process is called evaporation.
The Sun’s energy is the primary driver of
evaporation, and the amount of water that
evaporates is directly proportional to the amount
of sunlight that reaches the surface.
2. Transpiration
 Transpiration is the release of water vapour
from plants.
During photosynthesis, plants absorb water
from the soil and release it into the air through
tiny pores in their leaves called stomata. The
Sun’s energy is necessary to power this process,
as the water molecules need to gain enough
energy to break free from the plants surface and
become water vapour.
3. Condensation
As water vapour rises into the atmosphere, it
cools and begins to condense back into liquid
form, forming clouds.
The Sun’s energy is not directly involved in
this process, but it plays a role in determining the
temperature and humidity of the atmosphere
which can affect how quickly or slowly water
droplets form.
The Sun heats the Earth’s surface,
which in turn warms the air above it. This causes
the air to rise, creating areas of low pressure. As
the air rises, it cools, which can cause the water
vapour condense and form clouds.
Humidity also plays a role in cloud
formation. If the air is already saturated with
water vapour, it is more likely that condensation
will occur, and clouds will form. However, if the
air is relatively dry, it may take longer for the
water vapour to condense and form clouds.
Sun’s energy does not directly cause water
vapour to condense, it does play an important role
in determining the conditions that can lead to
cloud formation.
4. Precipitation
The water droplets in the clouds become
heavy enough to fall back to the Earth as
precipitation, which can take the form of rain,
snow, sleet, or hail.
The Sun’s energy is not directly involves also
in this stage of water cycle, but it does play a role
in determining where and when precipitation
occurs, as it drives atmospheric circulation
patterns that can affect the movement of water
vapour and the formation of clouds.
The Moon
The moon is a natural object in the sky that
orbits around the Earth. It is the first largest moon
in the solar system and is the brightest and most
prominent object in the nighttime sky, after the
stars.
The moon has a rocky surface that is
covered in craters, mountains, and valleys. It is a
lifeless, airless world with no atmosphere and no
water. The moon’s surface is also covered in a
fine layer of dust, called regolith, which is the
result of billions of years of meteoroid impacts.
The moon’s gravitational pull affects the
tides on Earth and causes them to rise and fall.
The Moon’s gravity creates a bulge of
water on the side of Earth closest to the Moon and
another bulge on the opposite side. These bulges
create high tides, while the areas between them
experience low tides.
The Sun also plays a role in creating tides,
but its effect is less significant than the of the
Moon. The interaction between the Moon, Sun
and Earth’s rotation leads to the regular rise and
fall of tides, which occur twice a day in most
places.
The moon goes through phases as it orbits
around the Earth, appearing to grow and shrink in
size throughout the month. This is caused by the
angle at which the sun’s light hits the moon,
which creates different amounts of illumination.
 When the Moon is between the Sun and
Earth, we see the side of the moon that is not
illuminated by the Sun, which appears as a New
Moon.
As the Moon moves around the Earth, we
gradually see more of the illuminated side
resulting in a Waxing Crescent, First Quarter,
Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Warning Gibbous,
Third Quarter, and finally a Warning Crescent.
The phases of the Moon repeat on a
monthly cycle, with each cycle taking
approximately 29.5 days to complete.
The Moon also stabilizes the Earth’s axial
tilt, which helps to create a stable climate for life
on Earth.
The current axial tilt of the Earth is
approximately 23.5 degrees. Tilt means turned
toward one side.
The gravitational pull of the Moon on
Earth causes a slight wobble in the Earth’s
rotation, which helps to stabilize its axial tilt
would be much more unstable, leading to dramatic
shifts in climate that would make it difficult for
life to thrive.
Stars
Stars are celestial objects that appear as
bright, glowing points of light in the night sky.
They are natural objects that are composed
primarily of hydrogen and helium gas, and they
generate light and heat through the process of
nuclear fusion in their cores.
Stars come in many different sizes, colors,
and levels of brightness, and their properties
depend on their mass, age, and stage of evolution.
Some stars, such as the Sun, are relatively small
and stable, while others can be much larger and
more volatile, eventually exploding and
spectacular supernova events.
The supernova is a powerful and
catastrophic explosion that occurs at the end of a
massive star’s life cycle. When a massive star
exhaust the fuel in its core, it can no longer
produce enough energy to maintain its structure,
causing it to collapse under its own weight.
This collapse generates an intense
shockwave that causes the star to explode,
releasing an enormous amount of energy and
producing a brilliant and extremely luminous
event in the sky that can last for weeks or even
months.
During a supernova, the star’s outer layers
are ejected at incredibly high speeds, producing a
shockwave that can trigger the formation of new
stars and contribute to the enrichment of the
interstellar medium with heavy elements such as
iron, gold and uranium.
They play a critical role in the evolution of
galaxies and the distribution of matter throughout
the universe.
Stars are distributed throughout the
universe, with many billions of them visible from
Earth alone. They are arranged into various
configurations, such as constellations, and their
positions and movements can be tracked over time
using telescopes and other astronomical
instruments.
Star Patters (Constellations)
The Different Colors of Stars

The Planets
The planets of the solar system can be
compared in several ways, including their size,
composition, atmosphere, distance from the sun,
and other characteristics.
A comparison of the eight planets in the
solar system, in order of their distance from the
sun:
1. Mercury
2. Venus
3. Earth
4. Mars
5. Jupiter
6. Saturn
7. Uranus
8. Neptune

The Planets of the Solar System

The Different Sizes of Stars

A Comparison of Star Sizes


Motions of the Earth
The Earth has two main motions:
ROTATION and REVOLUTION.
Rotation
Rotation refers to the Earth’s spin on its
axis, which is an imaginary line passing through
the North and South Poles.
The Earth rotates from west to east,
completing one full rotation every 24 hours. This
is what causes day and night on Earth—as the
Earth rotates, different parts of the planets are
exposed to the Sun’s light, creating daytime in
some areas and nighttime in others.
The Earth rotates slowly all the time, but
we do not feel any movement because it turns
smoothly and at the same speed.
Revolution
Revolution refers to the Earth’s orbit
around the Sun.
The Earth revolves around the Sun is an
elliptical path, taking about 365.25 days to
complete one orbit.
This is what causes the changes in seasons
on Earth.
The Earth’s axis is tilted at a angle of
about 23.5 degrees relatively to the plane of its
orbit, which causes the different amounts of
sunlight at different times of the year.
Comets
Comets are icy bodies of frozen gases,
rocks and dust left over from the formation of the
solar system about 4.6 billion years ago.
They orbit the sun that can take hundreds
of thousands of years to complete.
As a comet gets closer to the Sun, the heat
causes the ice sublimate, releasing gas and dust
that form a glowing coma and a tail that can be
visible from Earth.
Comets are thought to be remnants of the
early solar system can provide valuable
information about its information.
Asteroids
Asteroids are rocky or metallic bodies that
orbit the Sun, mostly found in the asteroid belt
between Mars and Jupiter, but some have been
discovered closer to Earth or beyond Neptune.
They are thought to be remnants of the
early solar system that never coalesced (merge)
into planets due to the gravitational influence of
Jupiter.
Some asteroids are large enough to be
considered dwarf planets.
Meteoroid
A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic
particle that is usually smaller than an asteroid and
larger than a molecule or atom. Meteoroids are
typically no larger than a pebble but can be a
small as a grain of sand or as large as a boulder.
They usually debris left over from the
formation of the solar system, an can come from
comets, asteroids, or even the Moon or Mars.
When a meteoroid enters the Earth’s
atmosphere and begins to vaporize due to the heat
of friction it becomes a meteor, also known as a
shooting star or falling star.
If the meteoroid does not completely
vaporize and a portion of its survives to land on
the Earth’s surface, it becomes a meteorite.
Meteoroids are constantly entering Earth’s
atmosphere, but most are too small to be seen or
even noticed.
Aurora Borealis and Aurora
Australis
Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis
Also known as the Northern and Southern
lights, respectively.
 These are colourful displays of light that
occur in the polar regions of the Earth’s
atmosphere.
They are caused by solar wind particles
colliding with Earth’s magnetic field.
There are two types of lunar eclipses: total
and partial.
During a total lunar eclipse, the Earth’s
shadow completely covers the Moon, giving it a
reddish tint, also known as a “blood moon”.

Eclipse During a partial lunar eclipse, the Earth’s

shadow only partially covers the Moon.
An eclipse is an astronomical event that
occurs when one celestial object passes into the
shadow of another.
There are two types of eclipses that can be
observed from Earth: Solar eclipse and Lunar
Eclipse.

Solar Eclipse
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon
passes between the Sun and Earth, blocking the
Sun’s light and casting a shadow on Earth.
There are three types of solar eclipses:
total, partial and annular.
During a total solar eclipse, the Moon
completely blocks the Sun revealing the Sun’s
corona, or outer atmosphere.
During a partial solar eclipse, the Moon
only partially cover the Sun.
During an annular solar eclipse, the Moon
appears smaller than the Sun and does not
completely cover it, creating a ring of fire effect
around the Moon.

Lunar Eclipse
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth
passes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a
shadow on the Moon.