Days, Months & Years
Science: KS3, topic 3.6.7
Days, Months and Years
1 day is 24 hours long. There are an average of 30 days every month. A year contains 12 months.
Days
- A day is the time it takes for the Earth to complete 1 rotation on its axis.
- In 24 hours, we get both day and night.
- Daytime is when the Sun is facing the half of the Earth that you are on.
- Nighttime is when the Sun is not shining on your half of the Earth.
- All the different planets have different day lengths.
- Jupiter has the shortest day – it takes 10 hours to rotate on its axis.
- Venus has the longest day – it takes 243 Earth days to rotate on its axis.
Months and years
- There are 12 months in a year.
- In one year, the Earth will complete one full orbit around the Sun.
- All planets take different lengths of time to orbit the Sun.
- The nearer you are to the Sun, the shorter the planet’s year will be.
- Mercury has the shortest year – only 88 Earth days.
- Neptune has the longest year – it takes 165 Earth years to orbit the Sun.
Test yourself on Days, Months & Years
Length of Days on Different Planets
Length of Years on Different Planets
What planet has the shortest day?
How long is Mercury's year?
Earth takes 24 hours to complete one rotation. Venus takes 243 Earth days to complete one rotation. Which planet takes longer to complete a full rotation?