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Geometry of The Earth Relative To The Solar System: - The Sun and All The Planets Except Pluto Lie in A

The document discusses the geometry of Earth and its motion within the solar system. It notes that Earth's rotation axis is tilted at 23.5 degrees from the ecliptic plane that contains the orbits of the sun and other planets. This tilt causes the seasons by changing the angle of sunlight striking different parts of the Earth throughout the year. Specifically, summer occurs in each hemisphere when that hemisphere is tipped toward the sun. The document also covers how the celestial sphere and constellations appear to rotate daily and change positions over longer periods as a result of Earth's rotation and revolution around the sun.

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Salman Habib
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
15 views

Geometry of The Earth Relative To The Solar System: - The Sun and All The Planets Except Pluto Lie in A

The document discusses the geometry of Earth and its motion within the solar system. It notes that Earth's rotation axis is tilted at 23.5 degrees from the ecliptic plane that contains the orbits of the sun and other planets. This tilt causes the seasons by changing the angle of sunlight striking different parts of the Earth throughout the year. Specifically, summer occurs in each hemisphere when that hemisphere is tipped toward the sun. The document also covers how the celestial sphere and constellations appear to rotate daily and change positions over longer periods as a result of Earth's rotation and revolution around the sun.

Uploaded by

Salman Habib
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Geometry of the Earth relative to the Solar System

The Sun and all the planets except Pluto lie in a plane called the Ecliptic plane

Page 1

But Earths rotation axis is not perpendicular to this plane


Earths rotation axis is inclined at 23.5 degrees

North rotational pole points to the North Star, Polaris


Note that both rotation and motion around Sun are counterclockwise, if you are looking from above the N pole

Page 2

How is Earth moving in our solar system?


Contrary to our perception, we are not sitting still. We are moving with the Earth in several ways, and at surprisingly fast speeds The Earth rotates around its axis once every day.
Page 3

The Celestial Sphere


Stars at different distances all appear to lie on the celestial sphere.
Ecliptic is Suns apparent path through the celestial sphere. Because our Solar System lies almost in a plane, planets follow paths along ecliptic as well.
Page 4

The Local Sky


Zenith: The point directly overhead Horizon: All points 90 away from zenith Meridian: Line passing through zenith and connecting N and S points on horizon
Page 5

Results of the tilt of Earths axis


Seasons Apparent motions of stars in sky
and how these vary with where you are on the Earth

Apparent paths of planets and Sun along the ecliptic Precession of the Earths axis
in 15,000 AD, the North Star wont be Polaris any more, it will be Vega (the brightest star in the Summer Triangle)
Page 6

Seasons: Key concepts


Earth's rotation axis is tilted with respect to its orbital plane
Tilt angle changes the angle of sunlight striking the Earth's surface At a fixed location on the Earth, the angle of the sunlight varies with time Seasons! Other planets have different tilts, and thus different types of seasons
Page 7

Seasons: summer is when your hemisphere is tipped toward Sun

Page 8

Seasons: summer is when your hemisphere is tipped toward Sun


Note: Earth is closest to Sun in January, farthest in July!

Page 9

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