Class 7 Science Chapter 12, Earth, Moon, and the Sun, starts with Rashmika in Kanniyakumari noticing how coconut-tree shadows change from morning to afternoon. It explains Earth’s rotation, revolution, axial tilt, changing night-sky constellations, seasons, and solar and lunar eclipses.
What Class 7 Science Chapter 12 Covers
12.1 Rotation of the Earth models Earth’s west-to-east rotation on its tilted axis every 24 hours to explain the cycle of day and night, apparent east-to-west motion of the Sun and stars, and Aryabhata’s boat analogy.
12.2 Revolution of the Earth explains how Earth’s 365¼-day orbit around the Sun and its 66.5° orbital tilt cause the changing night sky (12.2.1), summer and winter solstices, equinoxes, and opposite seasons in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres (12.2.2).
12.3 Eclipses: Solar and Lunar shows how rectilinear propagation of light and shadows create a solar eclipse (Moon passing between Sun and Earth, 12.3.1) and a lunar eclipse (Earth passing between Sun and Moon, 12.3.2), along with safe solar viewing rules.
Exercises in Chapter 12
- In a Nutshell key points summary and Let Us Enhance Our Learning chapter exercises.
- Exploratory Projects and Dive Deeper hands-on science activities.
Read Class 7 Science Chapter 12 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 11: Light: Shadows and Reflections
- Hindi medium: Class 7 Science Chapter 12 PDF in Hindi (Jigyasa)
- All Science chapters and the other Class 7 books: Class 7 NCERT books 2026-27
- All Class 1 to 12 NCERT Textbooks: NCERT Books PDF (Class 1–12)
FAQ
Why do we have seasons on Earth?
Seasons occur because Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted with respect to its orbital plane as it revolves around the Sun, causing different hemispheres to tilt toward or away from the Sun at different times of the year—not because of changes in Earth-Sun distance.
What is the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse?
A solar eclipse happens on a new moon day when the Moon comes directly between the Sun and the Earth, casting its shadow on Earth; a lunar eclipse happens on a full moon night when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, casting Earth’s shadow on the Moon.