Task

Getting ready for instruction Handout: Comparing Physical Characteristics Matrix
 * Comparing Sun, Earth, and Moon**
 * Teacher Notes: Characteristics of the Earth**
 * Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets meaning that it is a rocky body, rather than a gas giant like Jupiter.
 * Earth formed 4.54 billion years ago, and life appeared on its surface within one billion year.The planet is home to millions of species, including humans.
 * The physical properties of the Earth, as well as its geological history and orbit, have allowed life to persist during this period.
 * Earth's outer surface is divided into several rigid segments, or tectonic plates, that migrate across the surface over periods of many millions of years.
 * About 71% of the surface is covered by salt water oceans, with the remainder consisting of continents and islands which together have many lakes and other sources of water that contribute to the hydrosphere. Earth's poles are mostly covered with solid ice (Antarctic ice sheet) or sea ice (Arctic ice cap)
 * The planet's interior remains active, with a thick layer of relatively solid mantle, a liquid outer core that generates a magnetic field, and a solid iron inner core.
 * Earth interacts with other objects in space, especially the Sun and the Moon.
 * The Earth's axis of rotation is tilted 23.4° away from the perpendicular of its orbital plane, producing seasonal variations on the planet's surface within a period of one year (365.24 days).
 * The abundance of water on Earth's surface is a unique feature that distinguishes the "Blue Planet" from others in our Solar System. The Earth's hydrosphere consists mainly of the oceans, but technically includes all water surfaces in the world, including inland seas, lakes, rivers, and underground waters.
 * Earth’s atmosphere is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, with trace amounts of water vapor, carbon dioxide and other gaseous molecules.
 * The Earth's atmosphere has no definite boundary, slowly becoming thinner and fading into outer space.
 * Water vapor generated through surface evaporation is transported by circulatory patterns in the atmosphere. When atmospheric conditions permit an uplift of warm, humid air, this water condenses and settles to the surface as precipitation
 * Most of the water is then transported to lower elevations by river systems and usually returned to the oceans or deposited into lakes.
 * This water cycle is a vital mechanism for supporting life on land, and is a primary factor in the erosion of surface features over geological periods.
 * Precipitation patterns vary widely, ranging from several meters of water per year to less than a millimeter.
 * The distance of the Earth from the Sun, as well as its orbital eccentricity, rate of rotation, axial tilt, geological history, sustaining atmosphere and protective magnetic field all contribute to the current climactic conditions at the surface.

PowerPoint: PowerPoint: Comparing Lunar and Earth Landscapes


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 * Earth information: [] **
 * Sun information: [] **
 * Sun information: [] **
 * Moon information: [] **
 * Moon information: [] **