Summary
Day turns into night. Shadows grow long, then vanish. The Moon shows up during daylight, and the stars change with the seasons. What’s going on? It all comes down to motion. Earth rotates once every 24 hours, causing day and night, and making the Sun appear to move across the sky. Earth’s movement also explains why shadows stretch and shrink throughout the day. At the same time, the Moon orbits Earth, changing its position in the sky from one day to the next. Even the stars seem to shift as Earth orbits the Sun. Press "play" to learn how it all fits together in the Earth-Moon-Sun system.
Viewer safety
Ages 7+
Our rating is a quick teacher-to-teacher guide — preview before showing.
Teaching resources
Discussion questions
A few questions to talk through after watching Earth-Moon-Sun System:
- What is one new thing you learned about earth-moon-sun system?
- Can you explain it to a partner in your own words?
- Where might you see this in the real world?
- What is one question you still have?
Quick work-a-long
Try it:
- Write one sentence explaining earth-moon-sun system.
- Draw or give one example of your own.


