Earth, the Moon and eclipses

The first lesson in Out There, our 3D lessons about space: the real Earth and Moon, made from NASA's pictures, day and night, the Moon's shapes, and the total eclipse over Sydney on 22 July 2028. For children about five to eight. Free, with no ads and no sign-ups.

What your child will learn

• Earth is a planet: it spins once a day, giving day and night, and goes round the Sun once a year.
• Most of Earth is water; the thin atmosphere is the air we breathe; it's the only planet we know of with life.
• The Moon goes round Earth about once a month. It makes no light: moonlight is sunlight, and its changing shapes are phases.
• Craters, the dark maria, and the twelve people who have walked there.
• A solar eclipse is the Moon's shadow on Earth; a lunar eclipse is the Moon in Earth's shadow, turning red.
• Never to look straight at the Sun, and how to watch an eclipse safely with a grown-up.

How it works

Story. A bat tells it in 12 short chapters, in three parts: Earth, the Moon and eclipses. The Sun, the Moon and Earth are where they really are on the day each chapter shows, worked out in the page. Every word is spoken and shown.

Explore. Look at Earth right now (day and night as they are as you watch), watch the Moon go round with a little window showing its shape from Earth, or make an eclipse by moving the Moon (drag it, or press Move the Moon, which works with a keyboard or a switch). Follow the shadow follows the real shadow of 22 July 2028 from the Indian Ocean, across Australia, to New Zealand. What's this? shows the parts one at a time.

Quiz. 6 picture questions, read aloud. A wrong answer greys out and they have another go. Finishing brings a new animal for their My animal friends book and a card of the words they know.

Sydney, 22 July 2028

A total solar eclipse crosses Australia from the Kimberley to New South Wales and passes over Sydney, where the Sun is fully covered for about 3 minutes 44 seconds from about 1:59 pm (Astronomical Association of Queensland). Another crosses South Australia, far north-west New South Wales and southern Queensland on 25 November 2030 (AAQ). Use eclipse glasses that meet ISO 12312-2, or a pinhole viewer, and look without them only during totality (NASA's safety advice).

The real words it teaches

• Planet: a big, round world that goes round a star.
• Orbit: the path one thing takes round another, like the Moon round Earth.
• Atmosphere: the blanket of air round a planet.
• Phase: one of the Moon's shapes, like a crescent or a full Moon.
• Crater: a round hole made by a space rock crashing in.
• Maria: the Moon's dark patches, made of old lava.
• Eclipse: when the Sun, the Moon and Earth line up, and a shadow falls.
• Corona: the Sun's glowing crown, seen when the Moon covers the Sun.

What it practises

• Day and night. Why we have day and night: the Earth turns, and goes round the Sun. A Year 2 outcome, so a gentle early start.
  AC9S2U01 (Science, Year 2)

Things to try together

• Look at the Moon each evening for a week, and draw its shape. Which way is it growing?
• In a dark room, shine a torch (the Sun) at a ball (the Moon) while you walk it round your head (Earth). Watch its shapes.
• Make a pinhole viewer: a pin hole in a card makes a little picture of the Sun on another card. Never look through it at the Sun.
• Find Sydney, or where you live, on a globe, and turn it slowly in front of a lamp to see day and night go round.

What's simplified, and why

• Nothing is to scale. The Moon is drawn about ten times closer to Earth than it really is, and the Sun much closer and smaller. The lesson says so, and the shadows are still the right size and land in the right places.
• The Moon's offset from the Sun's line is kept true near an eclipse and squeezed elsewhere, so a full Moon that misses Earth's shadow misses it here too.
• 'Never look straight at the Sun, not even in an eclipse' is stricter than NASA's advice, which says the brief total phase is safe to look at. For five- to eight-year-olds, the simple rule is safer.
• The Moon's phases are shown north up, as they look from the north of the world. From Australia the Moon looks the other way up.
• City lights are from 2016; clouds are one real day's clouds, drifting slowly, not today's weather.
• Eclipse times come from the Astronomical Association of Queensland. The lesson's own sums put totality in Sydney within a minute of theirs; the words use theirs.

Where the facts come from

Every fact the lesson states was checked against the page linked beside it.

• Earth goes round the Sun once every 365.25 days, a year.
  In the lesson: Our star is the Sun. Earth goes all the way round it once a year.
  NASA Science — Facts About Earth
• Earth turns once on its axis every 23.9 hours, giving day and night.
  In the lesson: Earth is always spinning, like a top. One whole spin takes a day.
  NASA Science — Facts About Earth
• Earth turns from west to east, so sunrise reaches places in the east first.
  In the lesson: Watch the line where morning begins. It sweeps across from east to west, as Earth turns.
  NASA Science — Facts About Earth
• Earth's ocean covers about 71% of its surface.
  In the lesson: Most of Earth is covered in water. That's why it looks so blue.
  NASA Science — Facts About Earth
• Earth has an atmosphere, mostly nitrogen and oxygen.
  In the lesson: That thin blue line is the atmosphere: the air all round our planet.
  NASA Science — Facts About Earth
• Earth is the only place we know of with living things.
  In the lesson: It's the only planet we know of with living things.
  NASA Science — Facts About Earth
• The Moon goes round Earth about every 27 days (and its phases repeat about every 29.5).
  In the lesson: The Moon goes round Earth, about once a month.
  NASA Science — Moon Facts
• The Moon's radius is 1,737.5 km, about 27% of Earth's 6,371 km: nearly four Moons fit across Earth.
  In the lesson: Nearly four Moons would fit across Earth.
  NASA Science — Compare Earth and the Moon
• The Moon makes no light of its own; moonlight is reflected sunlight, and the Sun always lights half of it.
  In the lesson: Moonlight is really sunlight, bouncing off the Moon's grey rocks.
  NASA Science — Moon Phases
• The Moon's phases come from how much of its lit half we can see as it goes round Earth.
  In the lesson: These changing shapes are called phases.
  NASA Science — Moon Phases
• Craters are left by asteroids, meteoroids and comets striking the Moon; the maria are basins filled with lava 4.2 to 1.2 billion years ago.
  In the lesson: The dark patches are called maria. They're plains of old lava that went hard long ago.
  NASA Science — Moon Facts
• The Moon's orbit is tilted compared with Earth's orbit round the Sun, so eclipses are occasional, not monthly.
  In the lesson: As the Moon goes round, its shadow usually misses Earth.
  NASA Science — Eclipses and the Moon
• Twelve people walked on the Moon, in the Apollo program.
  In the lesson: People have walked on the Moon! Twelve astronauts, long ago.
  NASA Science — Moonwalkers
• In a total lunar eclipse, sunlight filtered through Earth's atmosphere reaches the Moon and turns it red.
  In the lesson: A little sunlight bends through Earth's air, like at sunset, and paints the Moon red.
  NASA Science — Eclipses and the Moon
• A lunar eclipse is visible from half of Earth, the night side, and needs no special equipment to watch.
  In the lesson: Everyone on the night side of Earth can see a lunar eclipse. You don't need anything special to watch it.
  NASA Science — Eclipses and the Moon; NASA Science — the November 2022 lunar eclipse
• In a solar eclipse the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and casts its shadow on Earth.
  In the lesson: When the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, its shadow falls on Earth.
  NASA Science — Eclipses and the Moon
• The Sun is about 400 times bigger than the Moon and about 400 times farther away.
  In the lesson: The Sun is about four hundred times bigger than the Moon, but also about four hundred times farther away.
  NASA Science — Why Do Eclipses Happen?
• In totality, people in the Moon's umbra can see the Sun's corona.
  In the lesson: Now you can see its glowing crown, the corona.
  NASA Science — Why Do Eclipses Happen?
• It's not safe to look at the Sun without solar eye protection (ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses) or a pinhole projector, except in the brief total phase.
  In the lesson: Never look straight at the Sun, not even in an eclipse. With a grown-up, you can use special eclipse glasses, or make a pinhole viewer.
  NASA Science — Eclipse Viewing Safety
• Footprints left by the Apollo astronauts will last a long time: there's no wind or rain on the Moon.
  In the lesson: There's no wind or rain on the Moon… Their footprints are probably still there.
  NASA Night Sky Network — Fun Facts About the Moon
• On 22 July 2028 the path of the total solar eclipse crosses Australia from the Kimberley to New South Wales, over Sydney, where totality lasts about 3 minutes 44 seconds from about 1:59 pm.
  In the lesson: That day, the Moon's shadow will race across Australia, from the Kimberley all the way to Sydney… for almost four minutes.
  Astronomical Association of Queensland — The eclipse of 22 July 2028

Where the pictures come from

The worlds are real maps, made into the lesson's pictures by Little Roos. NASA's and the USGS's pictures are not under copyright; we credit them, and nothing here means NASA or the USGS endorses Little Roos. Solar System Scope's are shared under CC BY 4.0.

• Earth by day: Blue Marble Next Generation, July 2004, NASA Earth Observatory (Reto Stöckli) (source)
• Earth's city lights: Black Marble 2016, NASA Earth Observatory (source)
• Earth's clouds: Solar System Scope (solarsystemscope.com/textures), CC BY 4.0 (source)
• Earth's oceans (where sunlight glints): Solar System Scope (solarsystemscope.com/textures), CC BY 4.0 (source)
• Earth's mountains: GEBCO elevation, via NASA Earth Observatory (source)
• The Moon: CGI Moon Kit, NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) (source)
• The Moon's craters and mountains: CGI Moon Kit, NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio (LOLA) (source)
• The stars: Deep Star Maps 2020, NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio (source)
• The Sun's surface: Solar System Scope (solarsystemscope.com/textures), CC BY 4.0 (source)

Every word it says

1. Our blue planet

• Hello! I'm Bat. I fly at night, so I know the Moon and the stars very well.
• Let's go way out into space, and look back at our home.
• This is Earth, our planet. A planet is a big ball that goes round a star.
• Our star is the Sun. Earth goes all the way round it once a year.
• Everything you see here is made from real pictures, taken from space.

2. Day and night

• Earth is always spinning, like a top. One whole spin takes a day.
• The side facing the Sun has day. The side facing away has night.
• See the lights on the night side? Those are towns and cities.
• There's Australia!
• Watch the line where morning begins. It sweeps across from east to west, as Earth turns.

3. What makes Earth special

• Most of Earth is covered in water. That's why it looks so blue.
• The white swirls are clouds, floating in the air.
• Look at the edge. That thin blue line is the atmosphere: the air all round our planet.
• Earth has water, air, and just the right warmth. It's the only planet we know of with living things.

4. Our closest neighbour

• And who's this? It's the Moon!
• The Moon goes round Earth, about once a month. Its path is called an orbit.
• The Moon is much smaller than Earth. Nearly four Moons would fit across Earth.
• It's really much farther away than this picture shows. Space is very, very big!

5. Where moonlight comes from

• The Moon doesn't make any light of its own.
• Moonlight is really sunlight, bouncing off the Moon's grey rocks.
• The Sun always lights up half of the Moon. The other half is dark.

6. The Moon's shapes

• Look in the little window. That's the Moon, as we see it from Earth.
• New Moon: its sunny side faces away from us, so we can hardly see it.
• As it goes round, we see more of its sunny half. A crescent…
• Half a Moon…
• And a full Moon, all lit up!
• Then it shrinks back again. These changing shapes are called phases.

7. Craters and footprints

• Let's fly in close. The Moon is covered in craters, made where space rocks crashed into it.
• The dark patches are called maria. They're plains of old lava that went hard long ago.
• There's no wind or rain on the Moon, so things there stay the same for a very long time.
• People have walked on the Moon! Twelve astronauts, long ago.
• Their footprints are probably still there.

8. Shadows in space

• The Sun shines on Earth and the Moon. Each one has a long shadow behind it.
• As the Moon goes round, its shadow usually misses Earth.
• But sometimes, the Sun, the Moon and Earth line up exactly. That's an eclipse!

9. A solar eclipse

• When the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, its shadow falls on Earth.
• For the people in that shadow, the Moon covers the Sun. That's a solar eclipse.
• The Sun is about four hundred times bigger than the Moon, but also about four hundred times farther away. So the Moon can just cover it.
• Watch the shadow race across Earth.

10. A lunar eclipse

• Now the Moon goes behind Earth, into Earth's shadow. That's a lunar eclipse.
• Look! The Moon turns a coppery red.
• A little sunlight bends through Earth's air, like at sunset, and paints the Moon red.
• Everyone on the night side of Earth can see a lunar eclipse. You don't need anything special to watch it.

11. Sydney, 22 July 2028

• Here's a date to remember: the twenty-second of July, 2028.
• That day, the Moon's shadow will race across Australia, from the Kimberley all the way to Sydney.
• Let's watch from Sydney Harbour.
• Bit by bit, the Moon slides in front of the Sun. The day grows dim, and cool.
• Totality! The Sun is completely covered, for almost four minutes. Now you can see its glowing crown, the corona.
• Then the Sun peeks out again, and the day comes back.

12. Staying safe

• Never look straight at the Sun, not even in an eclipse. It can hurt your eyes.
• With a grown-up, you can use special eclipse glasses, or make a pinhole viewer.
• Now you know about Earth, the Moon and eclipses. See you out there!

The quiz

Quiz time! Let's see what you remember. The right answers are in bold.

1. What does Earth go round? (The Sun / The Moon)
2. Why is it night-time? (The Sun switches off / Our side of Earth faces away from the Sun)
3. Where does moonlight come from? (The Moon makes its own light / Sunlight bouncing off the Moon)
4. What are the Moon's changing shapes called? (Phases / Craters / Clouds)
5. In a solar eclipse, what's in the middle? (The Moon / Earth)
6. Is it ever safe to look straight at the Sun? (Yes, in an eclipse / No, never)

Big Steps: two harder questions

With Big Steps on, for seven- and eight-year-olds, two harder questions follow the six, each about a fact the tour states:

1. Why does the Moon turn red in a lunar eclipse? (The Moon gets very hot / Sunlight bends through Earth's air, like at sunset / Someone paints it)
   From: NASA Science — Eclipses and the Moon
2. Why isn't there an eclipse every month? (The Moon's path is a little tilted, so they don't often line up / The Sun hides from the Moon / The Moon stops going round)
   From: NASA Science — Eclipses and the Moon

For every child

• Every word is spoken and written, so it works with the sound on or off.
• It works with a keyboard and a switch: the arrow keys turn the view, and Move the Moon and What's this? step through.
• If your device asks for less motion, the camera cuts instead of flying, the Sun stops moving and the confetti stays still.
• It steps down by itself on an older tablet: smaller pictures, fewer pixels.

What it needs, and what we collect

A recent browser. The lesson is about 5 MB, and its pictures about 6 MB more on most devices. Nothing about your child is collected: the My animal friends card and the sound setting are kept on your own device. The privacy page has the whole story.