Class 6 Science Chapter 12 Beyond Earth – easy notes, concepts, NCERT book solutions, important questions, worksheet and answers. Learn about the Earth, Moon, Sun, stars, planets, the Solar System and other objects in space in simple and easy language.
Class 6 Science Chapter 12 – Beyond Earth
Chapter Overview
Stars produce their own light.
A recognised region of the sky containing a pattern of stars.
A large, nearly spherical object revolving around the Sun.
An object that moves around a planet.
12.1 Stars and Constellations
On a clear night, we can see many stars. Some stars appear brighter than others. If we observe them carefully, some stars appear to form familiar patterns.
Orion
Orion is represented as a hunter. Three bright stars close together form the belt of Orion.
Canis Major and Sirius
Canis Major is represented as a dog. Sirius is a very bright star in Canis Major and is the brightest star in the night sky.
Indian Names of Stars
- Ārdrā – Betelgeuse in Orion
- Kṛittikā – Pleiades in Taurus
- Rohiṇī – Aldebaran
- Dhruva tārā – Pole Star
- Saptaṛiṣhi – Big Dipper
Big Dipper, Little Dipper and Pole Star
The Big Dipper is part of Ursa Major. The Little Dipper is part of Ursa Minor. The Pole Star, or Polaris, is part of the Little Dipper and appears nearly stationary in the northern sky.
12.2 Night Sky Watching
A clear, cloudless night away from city lights is the best time for observing the night sky.
- Villages and dark areas usually provide a better view of the stars.
- Buildings, trees, clouds, smoke and dust can block our view.
- Different constellations are visible at different times of the year.
- Some stars and constellations cannot be seen from every place on Earth.
- The Pole Star is not visible from the Southern Hemisphere.
Activity 12.2 – Let us try to locate
In summer, try to find the Big Dipper in the northern sky around 9 p.m. Use the two stars at the end of its cup to locate the Pole Star. Imagine a straight line through these stars. The Pole Star is about five times their distance away.
Activity 12.3 – Let us try to identify
In India, Orion is easy to see between December and April after sunset. Look for the three bright stars forming its belt. A line through these three stars towards the east helps us locate Sirius.
12.3 Our Solar System
The Sun
The Sun is a star. It is the closest star to us and is a huge, extremely hot ball of gases.
About 150 million km
1 astronomical unit (au) is approximately the Earth-Sun distance.
The Sun’s diameter is about 100 times Earth’s diameter.
The Sun is a star.
Planets
A planet is a large, nearly spherical object that revolves around the Sun.
The eight planets in increasing order of distance from the Sun are:
| Order | Planet | Important fact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercury | Closest planet to the Sun |
| 2 | Venus | Very bright; commonly called evening star |
| 3 | Earth | Our home planet; Blue Planet |
| 4 | Mars | Red Planet |
| 5 | Jupiter | Largest planet |
| 6 | Saturn | Famous for its rings |
| 7 | Uranus | Outer giant planet |
| 8 | Neptune | Farthest planet from the Sun |
The first four planets are smaller and rocky. The outer four are much larger and are mainly made of gases and/or icy materials.
Pluto was once considered the ninth planet. Since 2006, it has been classified as a dwarf planet.
Activity 12.4 – Let us try to identify
Venus can be observed around dawn or dusk. At dawn it can be seen towards the east before sunrise. At dusk it can be seen towards the west after sunset.
Natural Satellites
Objects that move around planets are commonly called satellites. Natural satellites are also called moons.
| Planet | Natural Satellites |
|---|---|
| Earth | 1 – Moon |
| Mars | 2 |
| Jupiter | Many |
| Saturn | Many |
| Uranus | Many |
| Neptune | Many |
The Moon
The Moon is Earth’s natural satellite and our nearest space neighbour.
About 27 days around Earth
About 384,000 km from Earth
About one-fourth Earth’s diameter
Contains many craters
The Moon has very little atmosphere and no liquid water on its surface. It has many bowl-shaped craters formed by impacts of rocks from space.
India’s Moon Missions
- Chandrayaan-1: 2008
- Chandrayaan-2: 2019
- Chandrayaan-3: July 2023
- The Vikram lander and Pragyan rover successfully landed on the Moon on 23 August 2023.
- 23 August is observed as National Space Day in India.
Asteroids
Asteroids are small, rocky and usually irregularly shaped objects that move around the Sun.
Some asteroids can come close to Earth. Their sizes can range from about 10 metres to hundreds of kilometres.
Comets
Comets are made of dust, gases, rocks and ice. When a comet comes close to the Sun, some of its frozen material evaporates and forms a bright tail.
Halley’s Comet appears approximately every 76 years. Its last appearance was in 1986.
12.4 Milky Way Galaxy
On a dark, moonless night, we may see a faint, cloudy band stretching across the sky. This is the Milky Way Galaxy, also called Ākāśha Gangā.
12.5 Universe
The Universe contains galaxies, stars, planets, moons, gas, dust and many other objects.
Keywords
Quick Revision – Important Concepts
- The sky is divided into regions called constellations, which include groups of stars that appear to form patterns.
- The Pole Star appears nearly stationary in the North direction.
- The Sun is a star which produces heat and light.
- A planet is a large, nearly spherical object that revolves around the Sun.
- The eight planets, in order of their increasing distance from the Sun, are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
- The Earth revolves around the Sun in nearly one year.
- Objects that move around planets are commonly called satellites.
- The Moon is Earth’s natural satellite.
- The Moon revolves around the Earth in nearly 27 days.
- The Sun, eight planets, their moons, asteroids and comets together form the Solar System.
- Our Solar System is part of the Milky Way Galaxy.
Let Us Enhance Our Learning
1. Match the column:
| Column I | Column II |
|---|---|
| (i) Satellite of Earth | (a) Orion |
| (ii) Red planet | (b) Venus |
| (iii) Constellation | (c) Mars |
| (iv) Planet which is commonly called an evening star | (d) Moon |
(i) – (d) Moon
(ii) – (c) Mars
(iii) – (a) Orion
(iv) – (b) Venus
2. (i) Solve the following riddle.
My second alphabet is in ACE and also in FAN
My third alphabet is in RAT and not in CAT
My fourth alphabet is in SUN but not in FUN
I am a planet that moves around the Sun.
First alphabet = M
Second alphabet = A
Third alphabet = R
Fourth alphabet = S
Therefore, the planet is MARS.
(ii) Make two similar riddles by yourself.
My first alphabet is in VENUS but not in MARS.
My second alphabet is in EARTH and also in MARS.
My third alphabet is in JUPITER but not in SATURN.
I am a planet close to the Sun.
Answer: Mercury
Sample Riddle 2:
My first alphabet is in SATURN but not in EARTH.
My second alphabet is in URANUS and also in VENUS.
My third alphabet is in NEPTUNE but not in MARS.
I am a planet famous for its rings.
Answer: Saturn
3. Which of the following is not a member of our Solar System?
(iii) Asteroids
(ii) Comets
(iv) Pluto
Sirius is a star outside our Solar System.
4. Which of the following is not a planet of the Sun?
(iii) Neptune
(ii) Pluto
(iv) Saturn
Pluto is classified as a dwarf planet.
5. Which is the brighter star, the Pole Star or Sirius?
6. An artist’s representation of the Solar System is given in Fig. 12.12. Is the order of the planets correct? If not, write the correct order in the boxes in the figure.
Mercury → Venus → Earth → Mars → Jupiter → Saturn → Uranus → Neptune
Reference diagram – planets are not shown to scale.
7. A portion of night sky with stars is shown in Fig. 12.13. Look carefully and identify the groups of stars that form the patterns—the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper. Draw lines to connect the stars for these patterns and label them. Also, identify and label the Pole Star. You may refer to Fig. 12.4 for help.
The seven-star pattern forming the large dipper is the Big Dipper. The smaller dipper pattern is the Little Dipper. The Pole Star is at the end of the Little Dipper’s handle.
8. A portion of the night sky is shown in Fig. 12.14. Draw lines to connect the stars for Orion and label the star Sirius. You may refer to Fig. 12.3.
9. From Earth, you can see stars fading away at dawn and appearing at dusk. During the day we do not see the stars. Explain why.
10. During a clear night, try to observe the Big Dipper 3–4 times at an interval of 2 to 3 hours. Also try to locate the Pole Star each time. Does the Big Dipper appear to move? Draw a rough sketch to illustrate this, mentioning the time in each case.
| Time | Observation |
|---|---|
| 9:00 p.m. | Big Dipper at its first observed position. |
| 11:00 p.m. | Big Dipper appears to have moved. |
| 1:00 a.m. | Big Dipper appears to move further around the Pole Star. |
| 3:00 a.m. | Big Dipper is at another position around the Pole Star. |
11. Think about the night sky and write a poem or a story on it.
The stars shine bright in the velvet sky,
The Moon looks peaceful way up high.
Constellations form patterns bright,
Guiding travellers through the night.
The planets travel far and wide,
In the Solar System where they glide.
Learning Further
Try to find out the names of planets in your local language. Also, find out the stories associated with stars and constellations in your region. Present these stories in a pictorial form.
Mercury – Budha
Venus – Shukra
Earth – Prithvi
Mars – Mangala
Jupiter – Brihaspati/Guru
Saturn – Shani
Uranus – Arun
Neptune – Varun
Activity: Find local stories about Dhruva, Saptaṛiṣhi, Orion or other constellations and present them through drawings.
If there is a planetarium or a science museum nearby, then you can visit it, especially if a night sky observation session is scheduled by them. You will get to see the Moon, the planets and the stars through a telescope. If you visit the planetarium during daytime, you can also see their models, pictures and sky shows.
Find out if the increasing light pollution is causing problems for humans, wildlife and the environment. Write an action that you would take at the personal level to control light pollution.
Find out the weather conditions due to which the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) found Hanle, Ladakh a suitable place to set up an observatory.
If you enjoy doing embroidery, try to embroider on a dark coloured cloth the constellations that you have seen (Fig. 12.15). Otherwise, you may use your creativity and depict constellations in multiple other ways using various art and craft ideas.
More to Know – Hanle Observatory
The Indian Astronomical Observatory at Hanle is located in Ladakh. The high altitude, dry atmosphere, dark skies and low light pollution make the region suitable for astronomical observations.
Chapter in One Look
Stars produce their own light.
Recognised regions of the sky containing patterns of stars.
The closest star to Earth and the main source of Earth’s energy.
Eight planets revolve around the Sun.
Earth’s natural satellite.
Small rocky objects that revolve around the Sun.
Objects made of ice, dust, gases and rocks.
The galaxy containing our Solar System.
Contains countless galaxies and other astronomical objects.
Practice Class 6 Science Chapter 12Looking for extra practice? Use the worksheet below to revise Chapter 12 with easy questions, extra practice questions and revision exercises.
Download Class 6 Science Chapter 12 WorksheetClass 6 Science Chapter 12, Beyond Earth, Class 6 Science notes, Class 6 Science solutions, NCERT Class 6 Science Chapter 12, Class 6 Science worksheet, Solar System, planets, Earth, Moon, Sun, stars, space, Class
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