Lesson 2 of 84 · Space
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🚀 StarbaseSeasons: Why They Change
Seasons: Why They Change.
🎯 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
Earth revolves around the sun once every 365.25 days, creating a year. The tilt of Earth's axis (23.5 degrees) causes the seasons as different hemispheres receive more direct sunlight.
Key Words
- galaxy
- light-year
Materials Needed
- ruler
- compass
- black paper
- foil
- scissors
Safety First
- Do not mix unknown chemicals together.
- Tie back long hair before starting the experiment.
- Protect your work surface with newspaper or plastic.
Steps
Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.
Track the moon's phase each night for two weeks. Draw what you see and identify the pattern.
Watch carefully for any changes and note the time.
Create a data table to organize your measurements.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What causes the seasons?
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.
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