Class 7 Science — Chapter 12: Earth, Moon, and the Sun

What you'll learn

• ▸Apparent Motion of the Sun
• ▸Earth's Rotation
• ▸Direction and Period of Rotation
• ▸The Day and Night Cycle
• ▸Apparent Motion of Stars
• ▸Foucault's Pendulum

Chapter Summary

--- PAGE 1 --- 12 Earth, Moon, and the Sun One morning in Kanniyakumari, Tamil Nadu, 12-year-old Rashmika was eagerly cycling to school. She was excited. That was the day her science teacher had dedicated a class for students to share and try to explain interesting observations. Rashmika had been noticing that the coconut tree shadows were long in the morning but shorter in the afternoon on her way back. She thought about it and decided that the size of the shadows changed because the Sun moved across the sky during the day. But she also remembered learning that the Earth moved around the Sun (in chapter 'Beyond Earth' in the Grade 6 Science textbook *Curiosity*) so she was puzzled. She wondered—does the Sun move in the sky? Or does the Earth move? 0777CH12 NCERT republished --- PAGE 2 --- 12.1 Rotation of the Earth You might have also noticed that the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West. Have you ever wondered why? Let us try to understand why. Have you ever enjoyed ridin…

Practice Questions from this Chapter

Tap "Get Solution" on any question to ask our AI tutor.

1. Explain Earth's spin simply. Get Solution →
2. Show why the Sun moves. Get Solution →
3. Quiz me on day and night. Get Solution →
4. According to the text, how long does it take for the Earth to complete one rotation on its axis? Get Solution →
5. What is the imaginary line passing through the Earth's geographic North and South Poles on which it spins? Get Solution →
6. What is the primary cause of the day and night cycle on Earth? Get Solution →
7. In which direction does the Sun appear to rise from our perspective on Earth? Get Solution →
8. When viewed from above the North Pole, in which direction does the Earth rotate? Get Solution →

Did you know?

• 💡 The Earth spins at over 1,000 miles per hour at the equator.
• 💡 Sunrise and sunset colors happen because sunlight passes through more atmosphere.
• 💡 Some planets spin so slowly that a day can last longer than a year.
• 💡 Ancient Egyptians divided day and night into 12 hours each.
• 💡 Earth's rotation is gradually slowing down, making days longer.

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