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Earth Tilt

Earth's rotation causes day and night as it spins on its axis every 24 hours, while its revolution around the sun causes the seasons and the length of the year. The tilt of Earth's axis of 23.5 degrees, combined with its revolution, results in the seasons - summer occurs when a hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, and winter when it is tilted away. The solstices mark the longest and shortest days when the sun is at its northernmost or southernmost points, while the equinoxes occur when day and night are equal in length as the sun is directly over the equator.

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192 views39 pages

Earth Tilt

Earth's rotation causes day and night as it spins on its axis every 24 hours, while its revolution around the sun causes the seasons and the length of the year. The tilt of Earth's axis of 23.5 degrees, combined with its revolution, results in the seasons - summer occurs when a hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, and winter when it is tilted away. The solstices mark the longest and shortest days when the sun is at its northernmost or southernmost points, while the equinoxes occur when day and night are equal in length as the sun is directly over the equator.

Uploaded by

eurizirue
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Rotation - Earth spinning on its axis

 Earth’s rotation on its axis


causes day and night
 It takes 24 hours for Earth
to rotate once on its axis
 Earth rotates in a counter-
clockwise direction
 Earth rotates at about
1,600 kilometers per hour
Revolution
The movement of one object around another object
 Earth travels (revolves) around
the sun

 One complete revolution


around the sun equals a year

 It is a curved path (elliptical)


followed by Earth as it moves
around the Sun

 Earth’s orbit is about 365 ¼


days (Leap year every four
years)
Revolution
Now You Try!
 Stand in place, and make one complete
turn (You have just rotated)
 Take a trip around your chair (You have
just revolved
 Do you think you can rotate and revolve at
the same time? Try it now!
What is the difference between
Earth’s rotation and Earth’s
revolution?
Earth in Space

Earth

rotates revolves

Around the
On its axis sun

causing causing

Day and
night Years
Seasons
• Seasons are
caused by the tilt
in Earth’s axis
• The tilt causes
uneven heating by
the sun (seasons)
Tilt A Whirl!
 Earth has seasons
because its axis is
tilted as it revolves
around the sun
 If Earth’s axis were
straight up and down,
temperatures would
remain constant year
round (no seasons)
Why is it warmer near the equator
than near the poles?
 At the equator - sunlight
hits Earth’s surface more
directly
 Near the north and south
poles - sunlight hits
Earth’s surface at an
angle (energy from the
sun is spread out over a
greater area)
Earth’s Tilted Axis
 Earth’s axis is tilted away from the sun for part
of the year and toward the sun for part of the
year
 When tilted toward the sun – summer
 When tilted away from the sun - winter

Note: Summer and winter are not affected by


changes in Earth’s distance from the sun.
Summer in the Northern
Hemisphere
Winter in the Northern
Hemisphere
The Earth’s Tilt
The Earth's axis is tilted by 23.5°
Earth’s axis always points in same
direction (towards Polaris - the North Star)
 When the northern hemisphere is leaning away from the
sun, the rays coming from it hits this part of the Earth at
a smaller (slanted) angle compared to other parts of the
world
 These are called indirect rays
 Indirect rays - same amount of energy spread over a
larger area of the earth therefore it receives less energy
(heat)
As the Earth moves around the
Sun, this axis always stays
pointing in the same direction.
Look at the direction of the axis during each
season.
Direct vs. Indirect Light

ct
Indire

t
Direc
Winter Sun (Indirect)

Summer Sun (Direct)


Winter Sun (Indirect)

Summer Sun (Direct)


When the southern hemisphere is
experiencing summer, the northern
hemisphere has winter.
6 months later, the situation reverses,
and it is now winter in the southern
hemisphere since that part of the
earth is now leaning away from the
sun
The energy that hits the Earth by the Sun changes
over of the year
The angle the Sun is above the horizon determines
how much heat and light strike each square meter
of ground
Changes in the Sun’s Angle
 Summer
 Sun is more directly
overhead
 Sun’s energy is
concentrated

 Winter
 The sun is less directly
overhead
 Sun’s energy is less
concentrated
Big Idea:
The seasons are the result of:
1) the tilt of the Earth's axis, and
2) revolution around the sun
 Ifthe tilt of the Earth's axis was 0°
there would be no difference in how
the rays from the sun hit its different
regions (there would be no seasons)
Review
Look closely at where the Sun is hitting the Earth
during each season:

http://Search.Lycos.com/setup.asp?r=5&src=clear2&query=weather+savvy
Seasons and Earth’s Tilt
Solstice
Solstice: Either of the two times in the year,
the summer solstice and the winter
solstice, when the sun reaches its highest
or lowest point in the sky at noon, marked
by the longest and shortest days.
Winter Solstice

• The northern hemisphere is pointed furthest away from


the sun
• The sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn
• The shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere
Summer Solstice

• The northern hemisphere is pointed furthest toward the


sun
• The sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer
• The longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere
Solstices
 On two days each year, the
noon sun is overhead at either
23.5° S or 23.5° N – solstices.
 Winter Solstice
 23.5° S
 in the northern hemisphere
 December 21st
 shortest day of the year
 Summer Solstice
 23.5° N
 in the northern hemisphere
 June 21st
 Longest day of the year
Equinox
 Equinox: the date (twice each year) at
which the sun crosses the equator,
therefore day and night are of equal length
(about September 22 and March 20).
Spring and Fall Equinox
• Vernal (spring) and autumnal (fall) equinox -
the sun is directly over the equator
• Days and nights are equal in length
Earth in March and September
Equinox (means - Equal night)
 Halfwaybetween the solstices, neither
hemisphere is tilted toward or away from
the sun
 Thenoon sun is directly overhead at the
equator
Vernal (Spring) Equinox
 March 21st
 Marks the beginning
of spring in the
northern hemisphere
Autumnal Equinox

 September 23rd
 Marks the beginning
of fall in the northern
hemisphere
Equinoxes and Solstices

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