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Motions of The Earth

The document discusses the two motions of the Earth - rotation and revolution. Rotation is the movement of the Earth on its axis, taking 24 hours to complete one rotation. Revolution is the movement of the Earth around the sun in an elliptical orbit, taking 365.25 days to complete one revolution. It also explains how these motions cause the changing of seasons, with the summer and winter solstices marking the longest and shortest days respectively in each hemisphere, and the equinoxes having equal day and night lengths everywhere.

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Nayanika Verma
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122 views10 pages

Motions of The Earth

The document discusses the two motions of the Earth - rotation and revolution. Rotation is the movement of the Earth on its axis, taking 24 hours to complete one rotation. Revolution is the movement of the Earth around the sun in an elliptical orbit, taking 365.25 days to complete one revolution. It also explains how these motions cause the changing of seasons, with the summer and winter solstices marking the longest and shortest days respectively in each hemisphere, and the equinoxes having equal day and night lengths everywhere.

Uploaded by

Nayanika Verma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MOTIONS OF THE EARTH

Chapter 3
TWO TYPES OF MOTIONS OF THE
EARTH

• The earth has two types of


motions, namely rotation and
revolution.
• Rotation is the movement of
the earth on its axis.
• The movement of the earth
around the sun in a fixed path
or orbit is called Revolution.
ROTATION

• Rotation is the movement of the Earth, on its


axis.
• The axis of the Earth, which is an imaginary line,
makes an angle of 66/2° with its orbital plane.
• The portion facing the Sun experiences day,
while the other half away from the Sun
experiences night.
• The circle that divides the day from night on the
globe is called the circle of illumination.
• The Earth takes about 24 hrs to complete one
rotation around its axis, it is known as
earthday.
•
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE EARTH DID NOT
ROTATE?

• The portion of the earth facing


the sun would always experience
day, thus bringing continuous
warmth to the region.
• The other half would remain in
darkness and be freezing cold all
the time. Life would not have
been possible in such extreme
conditions.
REVOLUTION

• The movement of the Earth around the Sun in


a fixed path or orbit is called revolution.
• Earth takes 3651⁄4 days to revolve around the
Sun.
• Every fourth year, February is of 29 days
instead of 28 days. Such a year with 366 days is
called a leap year.
• Earth is going around the Sun in an elliptical-
orbit.
• Seasons change due to change in the position
of the Earth around the Sun.
WHAT IS THE REASON WE HAVE A LEAP
YEAR AFTER 4 YEARS ?

• Six hours saved every year are


added to make one day (24 hours)
over a span of four years.
• This surplus day is added to the
month of February. Thus every
fourth year, February is of 29 days
instead of 28 days.
• Such a year with 366 days is called
a leap year.
SEASONS

•A year is usually divided


into summer, winter,
spring and autumn
seasons. Seasons change
due to the change in the
position of the earth
around the sun.
SUMMER SOLSTICE.

• On 21st June, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun. The rays of the
sun fall directly on the Tropic of Cancer.
• As a result, these areas receive more heat. The areas near the poles receive less
heat as the rays of the sun are slanting. The North Pole is inclined towards the sun
and the places beyond the Arctic Circle experience continuous daylight for about
six months.
• Since a large portion of the Northern Hemisphere is getting light from the sun, it is
summer in the regions north of the equator. The longest day and the shortest night
at these places occur on 21st June.
• At this time in the Southern Hemisphere all these conditions are reversed. It is
winter season there. The nights are longer than the days.
• This position of the earth is called the Summer Solstice.
WINTER SOLSTICE.

• On 22nd December, the Tropic of Capricorn receives direct


rays of the sun as the South Pole tilts towards it.
• As the sun’s rays fall vertically at the Tropic of Capricorn
(231⁄2° S), a larger portion of the Southern Hemisphere gets
light.
• Therefore, it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere with
longer days and shorter nights. The reverse happens in the
Northern Hemisphere.
• This position of the earth is called the Winter Solstice.
EQUINOX.

• On 21st March and September 23rd, direct rays of the sun fall on the
equator.
• At this position, neither of the poles is tilted towards the sun; so, the
whole earth experiences equal days and equal nights.
• This is called an equinox.

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