Lesson 35 of 84 · Space
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🚀 StarbaseThe Sun's Life Cycle (Part 2)
The Sun's Life Cycle (Part 2).
🎯 Your mission
Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.
⚡ The twist
The light you see now started its trip a long time ago.
Mind = Blown
🪐 A day on Venus is longer than a year on Venus.
Make a hypothesis first
Guess: how big does that look from here vs. from there?
What You'll Learn
The sun goes through an 11-year cycle of activity. During solar maximum, more sunspots and solar flares occur, which can affect satellites and power grids on Earth.
Key Words
- rotation
- revolution
- constellation
Materials Needed
- string
- tape
- pencil
- ruler
- compass
Safety First
- Clean up spills immediately to prevent slipping.
- Use materials only as directed in the experiment.
- Keep small objects away from young children.
Steps
Study the diagram and label the parts you recognize.
Build a scale model of the inner solar system using different-sized balls. Research the relative sizes and distances of the planets.
Observe what happens and describe it in detail.
Record your observations in your science journal with measurements and descriptions.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What is a nebula?
Where you see this in real life
GPS, weather forecasts, and the seasons all rely on this.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Find a constellation in the sky. Look it up. Tell someone its story.
For the dinner table
“If you could visit any planet, which would you pick and why?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Checkout complete lesson on Space for 5th Grade
Get the full Space track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.