Celestial Bodies Night Sky and the Planets for Class 1 Science

The Earth we live on is a part of the solar system. This concept will introduce the learners to the other planets of the solar system and the celestial bodies found in the sky.

After reading the concept, students will be able to:

Identify and name the solar system planets.
Give examples of celestial bodies visible in the night sky.
Define a constellation.

Each concept is explained to class 1 students using descriptions, illustrations, and concept maps. After you go through a concept, assess your learning by solving the two printable worksheets given at the end of the page.
Download the worksheets and check your answers with the worksheet solutions for the concept Night Sky and the Planets provided in PDF format.

What do you see when you look at the sky? Is it the same during day and night?

In this topic, we will learn about the celestial bodies we see in the sky day and night.

Celestial Bodies:

These are heavenly bodies that together form the universe.
All celestial bodies are not visible to us.
We can see the celestial bodies which are near to the Earth.
Examples: Planets, stars, and moons.

1.Sun and the Solar System :

Sun is the nearest star located to the Earth.
It is the ultimate source of energy.
Plants use the energy from the Sun to perform photosynthesis.
Also, the Sun’s heat is beneficial for maintaining a life-supporting environment on the Earth.
The Sun, the eight planets, and their moons together make the solar system.
The Sun is located at the centre of the solar system

2. Solar System Planets:

Eight planets and the Sun together make the solar system.
Planets can be defined as the celestial bodies that revolve around the Sun.
The series of planets that move around the Sun is—

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Mercury is the smallest, whereas Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system.
Earth is the only planet in the solar system where life exists.
Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system.
Saturn has a ring-like structure around it.

3. Moon:

The celestial bodies that revolve around the planets are called Moon.
Each planet in the solar system has a different number of moons.
Earth has only one Moon whereas Jupiter has 79. On the other hand, Mercury and Venus do not have any moons.
Moon keeps changing its shape depending on its position between the Earth and the Sun.
Moon does not have a light of its own. It shines because of the reflection of light from the Sun.

4. Night Sky:

Moon is the biggest heavenly body visible in the night sky.
Several stars are visible in the night sky along with the Moon.
A group of stars is called a constellation.

Examples: Saptarishi and Orion.

The other star seen in the night sky is called a Pole Star.
It is the brightest star in the night sky and is used by astronomers to identify directions.
It is located in the North direction.

New Words:

Reflection: It is the change in the direction of light when it falls on an object

Astronomer: A person who studies the star, planet, and other heavenly objects found in the universe.

Did You Know?

Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter are also called gas planets.
The Moon takes a time of about 28 days to complete one revolution around Earth.
Mercury and Venus do not have any Moons.
Earth completes one revolution around the Sun in a year which is equal to 365 days.