Page 36E: Earth, the Moon, and the Solar System

International Solar-Terrestrial Physics
Visit this National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) site to learn more about the Sun-Earth connection. Click on what is the Sun-Earth connection to open a page that explores the interactions of the Sun and Earth and the space between them.

Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon
Go to this site sponsored by the Universities Space Research Association and NASA to see a complete set of moon images. These images were taken from a book by Bowker and Hughes (NASA SP-206) titled Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon. You can search this site for images of the moon by feature name, coordinate range, or by latitude or longitude.

Astronomical Applications Department Frequently Asked Questions
At this site by the U.S. Naval Observatory you can learn more about the phenomena of the Sun and the Moon. Click on the dark days of winter. The sun’s declination is zero at the December solstice.

Solar and Thermal Atmospheric Radiation (STAR)
Visit this National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) site to find out more about how variations in the Sun’s radiation affect Earth’s climate. The STAR program monitors the Sun’s radiation through a network of surface stations as well as satellites. The program also measures ultraviolet light to aid in ozone research. Scroll down and click on measurements to see what kinds of data are collected.

The Moon: Our Neighbor
Go to this site to learn more about the Moon. After reading the short introduction, go to the bar at the top of the page and click on any of the topics displayed. To learn about the Moon’s geology, click on geology to find out how old the rocks are that astronauts brought back from the Moon.

Exploring the Planets: Our Solar System
Visit this site by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum to learn more about the planets of our solar system. You can find out about each planet or about asteroids and comets by clicking on the appropriate word. Click on any planet to see what kinds of information are available at this site. Most of the planet sites include recent images of the planets.

Welcome to the Planets
At this National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) site you can view a collection of many of the best images from NASA’s planetary exploration program. Scroll down to the images of the planets. For information on a planet, click on its image. You can click on Saturn, for example, to retrieve its planet profile.

The Nine Planets
Visit this site by the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona for a multimedia tour of the solar system. You can learn about the current scientific knowledge of each planet and its moons here. Each page has text and images, and some pages have sound and movies.

Views of the Solar System
At this site you can find a multimedia presentation of the Sun, the planets, moons, comets, and asteroids. The site includes information on space exploration, rocketry, astronauts, spacecraft, and more. Click on Mars to see what the newest research reveals about the red planet.

Planetary Tour
Go to this site by Scientific American magazine for a tour of our solar system. Scroll down on the main screen to see a graphic that shows the relative sizes of the planets and a few moons. To learn about a specific planet, click on its image in the screen to the left.

Browse the Solar System
Go to this U.S. Geological Survey site for more information on the solar system. Scroll down and click on an image in the chart to learn more about that object. Clicking on an image will bring up data about that planet, moon, comet, or asteroid. Click on the comet to see information about the comets that move across our solar system.

Explore the Solar System
Visit this NASA site to see a graphic of the orbits and locations of all the planets, moons, asteroids, and comets of the solar system right now. You can use your mouse to click and drag on the solar system until you are looking straight down on the planets’ orbits. Then you can zoom in and out to see how all the orbits look.

Welcome to the Planets
At this National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) site you can view a collection of many of the best images from NASA’s planetary exploration program. Scroll down to the images of the planets. For information on a planet, click on its image. You can click on Jupiter, for example, to see the best photos available for Jupiter.

Scale Model Demonstrations of the Solar System
Visit this site for teachers by the Lunar and Planetary Institute of Houston, Texas. Use the site to find out more about the relative distances between the planets of the solar system. Read through demonstration 1 to see the relative sizes of planets and their distances from the Sun.

At Home Astronomy: The Size and Distance of the Planets
Go to this site for an activity that demonstrates the sizes of planets and the distances between planets and the Sun. The site lists materials needed and includes a set of planet printouts for you to use.

Interplanetary Distances: Astronomical Units
At this NASA site you can read a background discussion about measuring the distances between planets. This site is written for teachers; you can help students follow the directions to make a scale model of the solar system, showing the relative distances from the Sun in astronomical units.

The Equinoxes and Solstices
Visit this site by the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, United Kingdom to learn more about equinoxes and solstices. Scroll down to see a table that shows the equinoxes through the year 2004.

Solstices and Equinoxes
Go to this site to read a brief description of solstices and equinoxes. Scroll down to see a graphic of Earth’s yearly rotation around the Sun.

Astronomical Applications Department Frequently Asked Questions
At this site by the U.S. Naval Observatory you can learn more about the phenomena of the Sun and the Moon. Click on the dark days of winter. The sun’s declination is zero at the December solstice.