Lesson 21 of 84 · Space
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🚀 StarbaseDay and Night: Earth's Rotation (Part 2)
Day and Night: Earth's Rotation (Part 2).
🎯 Your mission
Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).
⚡ The twist
The light you see now started its trip a long time ago.
Mind = Blown
🌌 If you could drive a car straight up at highway speed, you'd reach space in under an hour.
Make a hypothesis first
Guess: how big does that look from here vs. from there?
What You'll Learn
Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours, causing day and night. The side facing the sun experiences day, while the opposite side experiences night.
Key Words
- orbit
- rotation
- revolution
Materials Needed
- dark room
- paper plate
- markers
Safety First
- Do not taste any materials.
- Wear safety goggles when mixing liquids.
Steps
Read about Space and write down three key facts.
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 3Why do we have day and night?
Where you see this in real life
Every sunrise and every shadow is this idea in action.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Look at the moon tonight. Notice its shape. Look again in 3 days.
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 8th Grade
Get the full Space track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.