Class 8 Science Chapter 11, Keeping Time with the Skies, opens with Meera spotting the daytime Moon during the Makar Sankranti kite festival in Ahmedabad, then explains the phases of the Moon, solar and lunar calendars, Uttarayana and Dakshinayana, and artificial satellites.
What Class 8 Science Chapter 11 Covers
11.1 How Does the Moon’s Appearance Change and Why? tracks the Moon’s phases from full moon to new moon (Activities 11.1 and 11.2) and explains why the sunlit portion visible from Earth changes as the Moon orbits Earth.
11.2 How Did Calendars Come into Existence? and 11.3 Astronomical Festivals connect solar days, lunar months, intercalary months (adhika masa), and the Sun’s apparent northward (Uttarayana) and southward (Dakshinayana) journey to Indian calendars and festivals.
11.4 Why Do We Launch Artificial Satellites in Space? covers Indian and global artificial satellites for weather forecasting, communication, navigation and earth observation (Activity 11.4).
Exercises in Chapter 11
- Keep the curiosity alive end-of-chapter questions and reasoning exercises.
- Discover, design, and debate and Projects for hands-on investigation.
Read Class 8 Science Chapter 11 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 10: Light: Mirrors and Lenses
- Next: Chapter 12: How Nature Works in Harmony
- Hindi medium: Class 8 Science Chapter 11 PDF in Hindi (Jigyasa)
- All Science chapters and the other Class 8 books: Class 8 NCERT books 2026-27
- All Class 1 to 12 NCERT Textbooks: NCERT Books PDF (Class 1–12)
FAQ
Why does the Moon show phases?
Because we see only that part of the Moon’s sunlit half which faces Earth as the Moon revolves around Earth.
What are Uttarayana and Dakshinayana in Chapter 11?
The six-month periods of the Sun’s apparent northward movement (starting at Makar Sankranti) and southward movement across the sky.