Earth, Sun and Moon

Earth, Sun and Moon (not to scale)

Credit: bbc.co.uk

Although some ancient civilisations thought that the Earth was flat, it was soon discovered that the Earth is shaped like a sphere - the same shape as a football or an orange.

The Moon is a rocky, dusty sphere that goes round the Earth.

We can often see the Moon on a clear night, but it does appear to change shape during the 28 days it takes to go round (or orbit) the Earth.

The Earth and Moon orbit another spherical object called the Sun.

The Sun is the hot ball of burning gas at the centre of our Solar System, and it provides the light and heat that we have during the daytime. It is our movement around the Sun once a year that leads to the four seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.