NCERT Extended Learning Activities and Projects<\/span><\/p>\nQuestion 1.
\nThe North-South line at your place: Let us learn to draw the north-south line with the help of the shadow of a stick. Fix a straight stick vertically in the ground where the Sun can be seen for most of the day. Call the foot of the stick as point O. Sometime in the morning, mark the tip of the shadow of the stick. Say this point is A. With OA as radius draw a circle on the ground. Wait till the shadow becomes shorter and then starts increasing in size. When the shadow again touches the circle, mark it as point B. Draw the bisector of the angle AOB. This is your North-South line. To decide which side of this line shows North, use a magnetic compass.
\n
\nHint:
\nDo it yourself.<\/p>\n
Question 2.
\nIf possible, visit a planetarium. There are planetariums in many cities. In a planetarium you can see the motion of the stars, constellations and planets on a large dome.
\nHint:
\nDo it yourself.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Question 3.
\nOn a moonless night observe the sky for a few hours. Look out for a meteor, which appears as a streak of light. September-November is a good time for observing meteors.
\nHint:
\nDo it yourself.<\/p>\n
Question 4.
\nLearn to identify the planets visible to the naked eye and some prominent constellations such as Great Bear (Saptarshi) and Orion. Also try to locate the Pole Star and the star Sirius.
\nHint:
\nDo it yourself.<\/p>\n
Question 5.
\nPosition of the rising Sun – Uttarayan and Dakshinayan:
\nThis activity may last for several weeks. Choose a place from where eastern horizon is clearly visible. Choose also a marker, such as a tree or an electric pole, to mark the position of the rising Sun. It will be sufficient if you take the observation once every week. On any day, note down the direction of the rising Sun. Repeat this observation every week. What do you find? You would have noted that the point of sunrise changes continuously. From summer solstice (around 21 June), the point of sunrise gradually shifts towards the south. The Sun is then said to be in dakshinayan (moving south). It keeps doing so till winter solstice (around 22 December). Thereafter, the point of sunrise changes direction and starts moving towards north. The Sun is now said to be in uttarayan (moving north). From the equator, only on two days, on the days of the equinoxes (around 21 March and 23 September) the Sun rises in the east. On all other days, it rises either north of east or south of east. So, the direction of the rising Sun is not a good guide to determine directions. The Pole Star, which defines North, is a much better indicator of directions.
\nHint:
\nDo it yourself.<\/p>\n
Question 6.
\nForm a group of students. Prepare a model of the solar system showing the planets, and their relative sizes. For this take a large chart paper. Make spheres representing different planets according to their relative size. You may use newspaper, clay or plasticine to make spheres. You can cover these spheres with paper of different colours. Exhibit your models in the class.
\nHint:
\nDo it yourself.<\/p>\n
Question 7.
\nTry to make a scale model of the solar system showing distances of the planets from the Sun (Use Table 17.1 of NCERT Textbook). Did you face any difficulty? Explain it.
\nHint:
\nYes, the distance between the planets is so large that it becomes difficult to scale all of them to proper ratios. Moreover, there is a huge variation in the size of the planets and of the sun which becomes difficult to scale as some components may become very huge while the others become too tiny.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Question 8.
\nSolve the following riddle and try to make similar riddles yourself:
\nMy first is in VAN but not in PAN
\nMy second is in EARTH and also in HEAVEN
\nMy third is in ONE and not in TWO
\nMy fourth is in BUN and also in FUN
\nMy last is in STAR but not in RADAR
\nI am a planet that moves round the Sun.
\nHint:
\nVenus.<\/p>\n
Activity 1<\/span><\/p>\nObjective: To show the position of the moon in its orbit and its corresponding phases. Materials Required: A big ball or a pitcher, white and black colour\/paint.
\nProcedure:<\/p>\n
\n- Take a big ball or a pitcher. Paint half of it white and half black.<\/li>\n
- Go out into the playground with two of your friends. Draw a circle of radius of about 2 m on the ground. Divide the circle into eight equal parts as shown in the figure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
\n- Stand at the centre of the circle. Ask a friend to hold the ball at different points of the circle. Ask her to keep the white portion of the ball always towards the Sun. In each case, the line dividing the white and black portion is kept vertical.<\/li>\n
- Standing at the centre of the circle, observe the visible white portion of the ball while your friend stands at the points on the circle marked earlier.<\/li>\n
- Compare your observation with the different phases of the moon.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Observation: Following phases are observed: First quarter, waxing crescent, new moon, waning crescent, last quarter, waning gibbous, full moon, waxing gibbous. Conclusion: After the new moon day, the size of illuminated part of moon seen from Earth keeps increasing and after the full moon day it keeps on decreasing.<\/p>\n
The Moon\u2019s Surface: The moon\u2019s surface is dusty, barren and has many different sizes craters on it. Moreover, there are many big and small mountains. The moon has no atmosphere and water.
\nNeil Armstrong was the first person to land on the moon followed by another astronaut Edwin Aldrin. Neil Armstrong landed on the moon on July 21, 1969.
\n<\/p>\n
Activity 2<\/span><\/p>\nObjective: To show that the moon completes only one rotation on its axis as it completes only one revolution around the Earth.
\nProcedure:<\/p>\n
\n- Draw a circle of about 1 m diameter on the ground.<\/li>\n
- Ask one of your friends to stand at the center of this circle.<\/li>\n
- You revolve around your friend in such a manner that your face always remains towards him.<\/li>\n
- Observe how many rotations did you complete in one revolution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Observation: Your friend will not be able to see your back. You will complete only one rotation in one revolution.
\nConclusion: The moon completes one rotation on its axis as it completes one revolution around the Earth.<\/p>\n
The Stars: A star is a huge celestial body having its own heat and tight. Stars produce heat and light because they are full of very hot gases. The Sun is the nearest star from us. It is at a distance of about 150,000,000 (one hundred fifty million) kilometres from us. The next nearest star from us is Alpha Centauri. This is about 40,000,000,000,000 (forty trillion) kilometres from us.<\/p>\n
Light Year: The interstellar distances or intergalactic distances are too big to be easily expressed in terms of kilometres. Hence, we need a more convenient unit to express them. A light year is the distance travelled by light in one year. Distances of stars are usually expressed in terms of light years. The sunlight takes about 8 minutes to travel from the Sun to the Earth. This implies that the Sun is at a distance of 8 light minutes from us. Alpha Centauri is 4.3 light years away from us.<\/p>\n
Pole Star: The pole star also called Polaris is situated close to the Earth\u2019s axis of rotation. As a result, the position of the pole star appears to be fixed. This is unlike the other stars as their position keeps on changing with respect to the Earth.
\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Activity 3<\/span><\/p>\nObjective: To show that the pole star lies close to the axis of rotation of the Earth.
\nMaterials Required: An umbrella and a white paper.
\nProcedure:<\/p>\n
\n- Take an umbrella and open it.<\/li>\n
- Make about 10-15 stars out of white paper.<\/li>\n
- Paste one star at the position of the central rod of the umbrella and others at different places on the cloth near the end of each spike.<\/li>\n
- Now, rotate the umbrella by rotating its central rod in your hand.<\/li>\n
- Observe the stars on the umbrella. Observe if there is any star which does not appear to move.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Observation: The star situated at the central rod of the umbrella does not appear to move.
\n
\nConclusion: Pole star is the star which is situated in the direction of the Earth\u2019s axis. It does not appear to move.<\/p>\n
Constellation: The stars forming a group that has a recognisable shape is called a constellation. These constellations appear to move from east to west. The shape of all constellations seen in the sky always remains the same. Each constellation has been given the name of an animal or object, which it resembles.<\/p>\n
Major Constellations
\ni. Great Bear: One of the most famous constellations which you can see during summer time, in the early part of the night is Ursa Major. It is also known as the Big Dipper, the Great Bear or the Saptarshi. There are seven prominent stars in this constellation. It appears like a big ladle or a question mark. There are three stars in the handle of the ladle and four in its bowl. Ursa Major revolves around the pole star.
\nii. Orion: Orion is also called the Hunter or Kalpurush. The three prominent stars in this constellation mark the belt of the hunter. An elaborate structure shows a man with a club and a shield. This constellation is visible in the southern sky, and this can be easily seen during summer months in India.
\n<\/p>\n
Sirius: The Sirius star is the brightest star of the sky. It can be located with the help of the Orion constellation. If we draw an imaginary line through the three stars in the middle of the Orion and extend further, we will reach the brightest star, Sirius.<\/p>\n
iii. Cassiopeia: It is a constellation found in the Northern hemisphere and can be located in the sky during the winter season at the beginning of the night. The shape of this constellation resembles a W or a distorted M.<\/p>\n
iv. Leo Major: It contains several bright stars making it one of the most easily recognisable constellations in the night sky. It is visible in both the northern and the southern hemispheres. In northern hemisphere, it can be seen from January to June.
\n<\/p>\n
The Solar System: The Sun and the celestial bodies which revolve around it forms the solar system. It consists of a large number of bodies such as the sun, planets, comets, asteroids and meteors.
\n
\nThe Sun: The Sun is the nearest star amongst all the stars present in the universe. It is the main source of heat and tight for all the planets specially Earth.<\/p>\n
The Planets: Our solar system comprises eight planets namely Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. Uranus and Neptune. The planets are like stars, but they do not have light of their own. They merely reflect the sunlight that falls on them. The planets keep changing their positions with respect to the stars. These are the objects revolving around the Sun in a fixed path. This fixed path is termed as an orbit.<\/p>\n
Period of Revolution: It is the time taken by a planet to complete full revolution around the Sun.
\nPeriod of Rotation: It is the time taken by planet to complete one rotation around its own axis.<\/p>\n
Activity 4<\/span><\/p>\nObjective: To show that planets move in their own orbits and they do not collide with one another.
\nProcedure:<\/p>\n
\n- Go out into the playground with four or five of your friends.<\/li>\n
- Draw fourcirclesofradii 1m, 1.8 m, 2.5 m and 3.8 m, all having a common centre.<\/li>\n
- Ask one of your friends to stand in the center and represent the Sun. Your other four friends may represent Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.<\/li>\n
- Ask your friends to move around the Sun in anti-clockwise direction in their own orbits. Do they collide with one another?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Observation: They do not collide with one another, because they have fixed orbits of their own.
\n
\nConclusion: Planets moves in their own orbits so they do not collide.<\/p>\n
Planets Revolving Around the Sun:
\ni. Mercury: It is the nearest planet to the Sun and the smallest planet present in our solar system. It is very difficult to observe it, as most of the time it is hidden in the glare of the Sun. It has no satellite of its own.<\/p>\n
ii. Venus: It is the brightest planet. It is also called a morning or an evening star. It has no natural sateLlite of its own. Venus rotates from east to west, unlike the Earth which rotates from west to east. Venus also shows phases just like the moon.
\n<\/p>\n
iii. Earth: Earth is the only planet where life is known to exist. The Earth appears blue-green due to the reflection of light from water and landmass on its surface. The axis of rotation of the Earth is not perpendicular to the plane of its orbit. The tilt is responsible for the change of seasons on the Earth. It has only one satellite, the moon, of its own.
\n<\/p>\n
iv. Mars: It is called the red planet because it has a reddish colour. It has two moons of its own. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched India\u2019s first Mars orbiter mission – Mangalyaan on November 5, 2013.
\n<\/p>\n
v. Jupiter: It is the largest planet of the solar system. It rotates very rapidly on its axis. Jupiter has a large number of satellites, and also has faint rings around it.<\/p>\n
vi. Saturn: Saturn has thick rings around it that cannot be easily viewed with naked eyes. It has 30 natural satellites of its own. The density of Saturn is less than that of water making it the least dense planet of the solar system.
\n<\/p>\n
vii. Uranus: Just like Venus, Uranus rotates from east to west. It has 21 natural satellites. The rotation axis of Uranus is highly tilted. The atmosphere of Uranus mainly comprises hydrogen and methane gases.<\/p>\n
viii. Neptune: It is the farthest planet from the Sun, hence, it takes the largest time to revolve around the Sun. It has 8 natural satellites of its own.
\n<\/p>\n
Satellites: These are the celestial bodies which orbit around other celestial body. Example: The moon is a satellite of the Earth.<\/p>\n
Artificial satellites: These are the man-made satellites revolving around the Earth. These are launched from the Earth and revolve much closer to the Earth than its natural satellite, the moon. Aryabhatta was the first Indian satellite. Other examples are INSAT, IRS, Kalpana-1, etc. They are used for weather forecasting, transmitting radio
\nand television signals, telecommunication and remote sensing.
\n<\/p>\n
Asteroids: The smalt rock-like substances that are orbiting around the Sun are called asteroids. These are found in large gap between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter and form the asteroid belt. They are visible only through large telescopes.<\/p>\n
Comets: Comets appear as a bright head with a long tail. They revolve around the Sun in highly elliptical orbits. The tail of a comet is always directed away from the Sun. The length of the tail grows in size as it approaches the sun.<\/p>\n
Meteors: These are small objects that sometimes enter the Earth\u2019s atmosphere. These occasionally enter the Earth\u2019s atmosphere with very high speed. Due to friction of Earth\u2019s atmosphere, these glow and then evaporate quickly. That is why the bright steak lasts for a very short time. However, meteors are large and so they can reach the Earth before they evaporate completely. Meteorites are the bodies that reach the Earth. Meteorites help scientists in investigating the nature of the material, from which the solar system was formed.
\n<\/p>\n
Class 8 Science Chapter 17 Stars and The Solar System Additional Important Questions and Answers<\/h3>\n
Very Short Answer Type Questions<\/span><\/p>\nQuestion 1.
\nWhat do you mean by celestial objects?
\nAnswer:
\nAny naturally occurring object in the observable universe is called a celestial object. Stars, planets, satellites, comets, etc., are examples of celestial objects.<\/p>\n
Question 2.
\nWhat is a light year?
\nAnswer:
\nThe distance travelled by light in one year is called a light year.<\/p>\n
Question 3.
\nWhat is the solar system?
\nAnswer:
\nThe Sun, the eight planets, their moons and the other celestial objects that revolve around the Sun, form the solar system.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Question 4.
\nWhy can\u2019t we see the stars during the day?
\nAnswer:
\nDue to the brightness of the Sun during the day, we cannot see the stars at that time.<\/p>\n
Question 5.
\nIf the planet Saturn is immersed in water, will it float or sink? Why?
\nAnswer:
\nThe planet Saturn will float because its density is less than that of water.<\/p>\n
Question 6.
\nDefine planets.
\nAnswer:
\nPlanets are heavenly bodies orbiting around the Sun. They look like stars but they do not have their own tight.<\/p>\n
Question 7.
\nWhat is the direction of rotation of the Earth on its axis?
\nAnswer:
\nWest to east.<\/p>\n
Question 8.
\nWhat is revolution?
\nAnswer:
\nThe movement of a celestial body in its orbit is called revolution.<\/p>\n
Question 9.
\nWhat is rotation?
\nAnswer:
\nThe movement of a celestial body around its own axis is called rotation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Question 10.
\nWhat is a satellite?
\nAnswer:
\nA celestial body which moves around a planet is called a satellite.<\/p>\n
Question 11.
\nName the first Indian artificial satellite.
\nAnswer:
\nAryabhatta.<\/p>\n
Question 12.
\nWhat are comets?
\nAnswer:
\nA comet is a celestial body which revolves around the Sun in a highly elliptical path.<\/p>\n
Question 13.
\nAfter how many years does Halley\u2019s Comet appear from the Earth?
\nAnswer:
\n76 years.<\/p>\n
Question 14.
\nWhat is universe?
\nAnswer:
\nThe limitless expanse of space around us consisting of our solar system and the other stars and galaxies is called universe.<\/p>\n
Question 15.
\nWhat are stars?
\nAnswer:
\nThe celestial bodies which have their own heat and light are called stars.<\/p>\n
Question 16.
\nName a star which lies stationary in the sky.
\nAnswer:
\nPole star.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Question 17.
\nName the natural satellite of the Earth.
\nAnswer:
\nMoon.<\/p>\n
Question 18.
\nWhat is the distance of the Sun from the Earth? What is this distance called?
\nAnswer:
\nThe Sun is nearly 150,000,00 km away from Earth. The distance of Sun from Earth is 8.3 tight minutes and is called Astronomical Unit (AU).<\/p>\n
Question 19.
\nName the star which is nearest to the Earth after the Sun.
\nAnswer:
\nAlpha Centauri.<\/p>\n
Question 20.
\nName some artificial satellites.
\nAnswer:
\nINSAT, IRS, EDUSAT, Kalpana-1, etc.<\/p>\n
Short Answer Type Questions<\/span><\/p>\nQuestion 1.
\nWrite a short note on Pole Star.
\nAnswer:
\nWhile other stars appear to move with gradual progress of night, the pole star remains fixed at its position. This happens because the pole star is in line with the axis of the Earth. The pole star appears in the northern sky. It is only visible from the northern hemisphere. However, the fixed position of the pole star has helped humans since ages.<\/p>\n
Question 2.
\nWhat are asteroids?
\nAnswer:
\nAsteroids are made up of rocks, metallic minerals and some ice. They are remnants of formation of the solar system. The asteroid belt is present between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This belt extends between 2.3 and 3.3 AU from the Sun.<\/p>\n
Question 3.
\nWhy is the Venus called the morning or the evening star?
\nAnswer:
\nVenus is the brightest planet in the night sky. Venus is visible in early evening during the summer months and in early morning during winters. Due to this, Venus is also called the morning or evening star.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Question 4.
\nWhy is the distance between the stars expressed in light years?
\nAnswer:
\nStars are very far from the Earth. Their distance, if written in kilometres, will not be convenient to read and memorise. Therefore, large distances are expressed in light year. It is the distance travelled by light in one year.<\/p>\n
Question 5.
\nWhy is Venus the hottest planet even though Mercury is closest to the Sun?
\nAnswer:
\nVenus is a very hot planet (about 480\u00b0C), even hotter than Mercury, though it is further away from the Sun. This is because of the high percentage of carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, which causes heating due to the greenhouse effect.<\/p>\n
Question 6.
\nHow are stars different from planets?
\nAnswer:<\/p>\n
\n\n\nStars<\/td>\n | Planets<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n1. Emit their own light<\/td>\n | 1. Do not emit their own light<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n2. Made up of hot gases<\/td>\n | 2. Made up of rocks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n3. When seen from the Earth, they twinkle<\/td>\n | 3. Do not twinkle<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
\n4. Massive in size<\/td>\n | 4. Smaller than stars<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Question 7. \nDifferentiate between natural and artificial satellites. \nAnswer: \nNatural satellites:<\/p>\n |