Class 6 Geo Ch 1 Notes

CLASS 6 GEOGRAPHY NOTES

CHAPTER 1

THE EARTH IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

The Sun, the Moon and all those objects shining in the night sky are called celestial bodies.

The celestial bodies which have their own heat and light, which they emit in large amounts are called stars.

In ancient times, people used to

determine directions during the night

with the help of stars. The North star

indicates the north direction. It is also

called the Pole Star. It always remains

in the same position in the sky.

Some celestial bodies do not have their own heat and light. They are lit by the light of the stars. Such bodies are called planets. The word ‘planet’ comes from

the Greek word “Planetai” which means ‘wanderers’.

The sun, eight planets, satellites and some other celestial bodies known as asteroids and meteoroids form the solar system.

There are eight planets in our solar system. In order of their distance from the sun, they are: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

An easy way to memorise the name of the planets in order of their distance from the sun is:

MY VERY EFFICIENT MOTHER JUST SERVED US NUTS.

Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus have rings around them. These are belts of small debris.

These rings may be seen from the earth with the help of powerful telescopes.

The Sun

The sun is in the centre of the solar system. It is huge and made up of extremely hot gases. It provides the pulling force that binds the solar system. The sun is the ultimate source of heat and light for the solar system. But that tremendous heat is not felt so much by us because despite being our nearest star, it is far away from us. The sun is about 150 million km away from the earth.

Mercury is nearest to the sun. It takes only about 88 days to complete one round along its orbit. Venus is considered as Earth’s-twin’ because its size and shape are very much like the earth.

Till recently (August 2006), Pluto was also

considered a planet. However, in a meeting of the International Astronomical Union, a decision was taken that Pluto like other celestial objects (Ceres, 2003 UB313) discovered in recent past may be called ‘dwarf planets.”

The Earth

The earth is the third nearest planet to the sun. In size, it is the fifth largest planet. It is slightly flattened at the poles. That is why, its shape is described as a Geoid. Geoid means an earth-like shape.

‘Sol’ in Roman mythology is

the ‘Sungod’.

‘Solar’ means ‘related to the sun’. The

family of the sun is, therefore, called the solar system.

Those who study the celestial bodies and their movements are called astronomers. Aryabhatta was a famous astronomer of

ancient India. He said that the moon and the planets shine due to reflected sunlight. Today, astronomers all over the world are busy exploring the universe.

There are eight planets in our solar system. In order of

their distance from the sun, they are: Mercury,

Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and

Neptune.

An easy way to memorise the name of the planets in

order of their distance from the sun is:

MY VERY EFFICIENT MOTHER JUST SERVED US NUTS.

There are eight planets in our solar system. In order of

their distance from the sun, they are: Mercury,

Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and

Neptune.

An easy way to memorise the name of the planets in

order of their distance from the sun is:

MY VERY EFFICIENT MOTHER JUST SERVED US NUTS.