I have developed and given talks about the Sun and why we have daily (day/night) and yearly (fall, winter, summer, spring) cycles. You can read a short description below. The scope and content of these talks can be adjusted for elementary school (K-5), middle school, high school, and adult audiences. Contact me if you are interested in this or other astronomy talks.


The Sun, night and day, and the reasons for the seasons

Elementary school (K-2):

In this talk the students will learn what it means to be an astronomer, what we do, why we need telescopes, and why we build the telescopes on remote mountaintops. They will learn which star is the closest to us, the Sun, and where in the sky they see the Sun at different times in the day. They will learn why the Sun moves across the sky during the day and why we have day and night and sunrise and sunset. The will also learn about the size of the Sun compared to the Earth, and how far away and hot the Sun is.

Select slides from the talk:







Elementary school (grades 3-5):

The grade 3 through 5 students will learn everything the K-2 students did. They will also learn about the tilt of the Earth's North-South axis and the Earth's 1-year journey around the Sun. They will learn why this tilt and the yearly motion of the Earth around the Sun causes seasons (spring, summer, fall, and winter) - opposite in the Northern and Southern hemisphere. I will also explain to the grade 3-5 students how and when the Sun and the planets formed.

Select slides from the grades 3-5 talk: