The Sun, the Moon and the stars seem to move across the sky in patterns we can predict. Every day the Sun rises in the east in the morning, is high in the sky around midday, and sets in the west in the evening. Then it is night.
At night we can often see the Moon and stars. The Moon seems to change shape over about a month: sometimes it is a thin crescent, sometimes a half, and sometimes a full circle. These shapes are called phases. The Moon is still round; we just see different amounts of its sunlit side. Stars are always in the sky, but in the daytime the Sun is so bright that we cannot see them.
Worked example
Where will the Sun be at about 6 pm on a summer evening?
- The Sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
- Evening is when it sets.
Answer:So it will be low in the western sky.
Key words
- sunrise
- when the Sun appears in the morning, in the east
- sunset
- when the Sun goes down in the evening, in the west
- phases
- the changing shapes of the Moon
- star
- a huge ball of hot gas that gives off light
New questions every time.
NGSS-referenced: 1-ESS1-1