Where are we in space and why does it matter?
By:Lindsay Moore
5th grade

WHERE IS OUR GALAXY IN THE UNIVERSE AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

• Our galaxy is located in the virgo supercluster.
• the virgo supercluster is made up of of multiple galaxies.
• our galaxy is located in the virgo supercluster which is about 160 million light years from earth
• Our galaxy is called the milky way galaxy

Our solar system is located in the milky way galaxy. The milky way galaxy is a spiral galaxy that is about 100,000 light years across.

Earth is the third planet from the sun. earth is about 92.96 million miles from the sun also earth is the only planet that can support human life.

WHY DOES EARTH HAVE A 23.5 DEGREE TILT

• earth has a 23.5 degree tilt so that the earth has seasons
• While the earth is tilting either the Southern Hemisphere or the northern hemisphere is pointing towards the sun.
• So if the Southern Hemisphere is towards the sun then it will be summer and then it would be winter in the northern hemisphere.

23.5 DEGREE TILT

Our earth orbits the sun

• it takes earth 365 days (a year) to completely orbit the sun.
• Gravity and inertia both play a part in why the earth can still orbit the sun.

WHAT DOES GRAVITY AND INERTIA DO AND WHY DOES IT MATTER?

• gravity is a force of attraction between two objects.
• inertia is an the resistance to change in velocity.

gravity and INERTIA continued..

• earth is 92.96 million miles from the sun and travels at a speed of 1000 miles per hour, but the force of gravity and inertia still holds earth in its orbit.
• they work together to keep our earth in orbit. The force of gravity holds the earth down while inertia makes the earth want to travel away from the sun and float throughout space.

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EARTH ROTATES AND THIS CAUSES DAY AND NIGHT

• earth rotates on what is called its axis.
• As the earth rotates around the sun there is light only on one part of the earth so this causes day and night.

earth's rotation

the moon's phases

• The moon has 8 total phases.
• It starts with the full moon, then it goes to waxing crescent, then first quarter, then waxing gibbous, then full moon, now third quarter, and finally waning crescent.
• the moon doesn't actually change. the phases are just how much of the moon we can see every night.

moon's eclipses

• The moon has 2 eclipses.
• The first eclipse is a solar eclipse. This is when the moon blocks light from the sun to our earth. In this eclipse they are lined up with the Sun first then the Moon and Earth.
• The second eclipse is the lunar eclipse. This is when the moon is in the umbra shadow and this cause the moon to have a different looking color. In this eclipse they are lined up in order of the sun, then the earth, and last the moon.

TIDES

• There are two types of tides. There are tides because of the moon gravitational pull
• The first tide is the neap tide. This tide is when there is the smallest difference in the high and low tides.
• Spring tide is when there is the biggest difference in high and low tides.

Why it matters where we are in space?

• It matters that we are in space because if we weren't located in this specific area we wouldn't be able to be alive.
• Earth is in the perfect spot at the perfect angle for human life.
• It matters where we are in space because if we weren't right here we wouldn't exist.

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