Orbit | The Schools' Observatory

The Moon

The Moon is the largest and brightest object we see in the night sky.

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the largest of four rocky, or terrestrial, planets.

This work by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is licensed under Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal

Earth - Rotating Model

An orbit is the path an object in space travels around another. Lots of objects in the Universe orbit others. The Moon orbits the Earth.

Orbit of dwarf planets Pluto and Charon

Astronomer, Mathematician, Scientist, Teacher

1571

Planetary motion, Optics, Geometry

Astronomer, Mathematician, Clergyman

1473

Planets, Mechanics

This work by Unknown Artist (circa 1580) is licensed under Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal

Did you know the Earth is travelling around the Sun at nearly 107,000 kilometres per hour?

An Orrery is a moving, mechanical model of the Solar System. It shows how all of the planets orbit around the Sun.

Many years ago, a mathematician named Johannes Kepler created a set of rules explaining planets' movement in our Solar System.