Lesson 59 of 84 · Space
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🚀 StarbaseRockets and How They Work (Part 3)
Rockets and How They Work (Part 3).
🎯 Your mission
Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.
⚡ The twist
Gravity is invisible — but it shapes everything.
Mind = Blown
🌟 The light from the closest star (after the sun) takes 4 years to reach you.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you check: which is closer?
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
- eclipse
- nebula
- orbit
Materials Needed
- string
- tape
- pencil
- ruler
- compass
- black paper
Safety First
- Protect your work surface with newspaper or plastic.
- Adult supervision recommended.
- Do not taste any materials.
Steps
Review the background information on Space before starting.
Model Earth's tilt and seasons: hold a globe tilted at 23.5° and walk it around a lamp (the sun). Observe which hemisphere gets more direct light at each position.
Draw a detailed diagram of what you observe.
Write a conclusion: what did your results show? Did they match your prediction?
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What causes moon phases?
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.