Sun, Earth and Moon

A free interactive lesson on the Sun, Earth and Moon — how Earth's spin creates day and night, its orbit makes a year, and the Moon's orbit creates months and phases. Class 4 Science. Includes a quick quiz.

Class 4 ScienceClass 4 / Grade 4Ages 6–9
Lesson
🌙 Sun, Earth and Moon
Three objects, one perfect system!☀️Sun — 109× bigger than Earth🌍Earth — orbits the Sun🌕Moon — orbits Earth

The Sun is a star — a massive ball of burning gas so large that over a million Earths could fit inside it. The Earth is one of eight planets orbiting the Sun. And the Moon is a large rock orbiting Earth. These three objects work together in a beautiful system that gives us day and night, the months of the year, and the seasons. Understanding this system explains so much about why the world works the way it does.

What creates day and night?

Earth spins on its axis — an imaginary line through the North and South Poles — once every 24 hours. The side facing the Sun experiences day; the side facing away is in night. As Earth spins, every location passes from day to night and back again. Earth also orbits the Sun, completing one trip every 365.25 days — which is why we have a leap year every 4 years.

Why does the Moon appear to change shape?

The Moon doesn't actually change shape — we just see different portions of its sunlit side as it orbits Earth. When the Moon is between Earth and the Sun, we see none of the lit side (new moon). As it moves around, we see more and more lit surface (waxing). After the full moon, we see less and less (waning). The full cycle takes about 29 days.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the Moon not fall toward Earth?

The Moon is actually falling toward Earth constantly — but it is also moving sideways so fast that it keeps missing. This balance between gravity pulling it in and its sideways speed keeps it in orbit. This is how all orbits work.

How does the Moon cause tides?

The Moon's gravity pulls on Earth's oceans, creating a bulge of water on the side closest to the Moon. As Earth rotates, different coastlines pass through this bulge, creating high and low tides roughly twice a day.

What is the difference between a year and a day?

A day is the time Earth takes to spin once on its axis — 24 hours. A year is the time Earth takes to complete one full orbit around the Sun — 365.25 days.

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