Earth’s Rotation and Revolution

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ROTATION AND REVOLUTION AS IT PERTAINS TO THE EARTH? THE TERMS ROTATION AND REVOLUTION HAVE DIFFERENT MEANINGS. THEY BOTH ARE RELATED TO HOW THE EARTH MOVES AND ARE THE REASON FOR DAY AND NIGHT AND THE SEASONS. ROTATION REFERS TO THE EARTH SPINNING ON ITS AXIS. AS THE EARTH ROTATES, DIFFERENT PARTS RECEIVE SUNLIGHT OR DARKNESS. THIS IS WHY WE EXPERIENCE DAY AND NIGHT. IT TAKES 23 HOURS AND 56 MINUTES TO COMPLETE ONE ROTATION. REVOLUTION REFERS TO THE EARTH TRAVELING IN ITS ORBIT AROUND THE SUN. AS THE EARTH MOVES AROUND THE SUN, DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE EARTH RECEIVE DIFFERENT INTENSITIES OF SUNLIGHT CAUSING US TO HAVE OUR ANNUAL SEASONS. IT TAKES 365 ¼ DAYS TO COMPLETE ONE FULL REVOLUTION. IDENTIFY TWO WAYS THE TILT OF THE EARTH IS SIGNIFICANT IN CAUSING EARTH’S ANNUAL SEASONS. THE TILT OF THE EARTH PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN CAUSING EARTH’S ANNUAL SEASONS. THE FIRST WAY IS IT CAUSES THE SUN TO RISE HIGHER IN THE SKY CONCENTRATING THE SUN’S RAYS AS THEY STRIKE THE EARTH. THE SECOND WAY IS IT RESULTS IN AN INCREASE IN DAYLIGHT. THE HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF SUNLIGHT ALONG WITH THE LONGER DAYS RESULTS IN WARMER TEMPERATURES DURING THE SUMMER. THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE DURING WINTER RESULTING IN THE COLD WEATHER. THIS IS TRUE FOR THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN HEMISPHERES, BUT IF YOU LIVE NEAR THE EQUATOR THESE EFFECTS ARE NOT FELT AND YOU WOULD NOT EXPERIENCE NOTICEABLE SEASONAL CHANGES. GIVE DETAILS ABOUT THE SOLSTICES AND EQUINOXES AND WHAT THEY MEAN FOR THE LENGTH OF THE DAY. THERE ARE 4 EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR CALLED SOLSTICES AND EQUINOXES WHICH MARK THE TURNING POINTS OF OUR SEASONS. THE SUMMER SOLSTICE IS ON JUNE 21 OR 22. THE NORTH POLE TILTS TOWARD THE SUN MARKING THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER FOR THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE. THIS IS THE LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR. THE WINTER SOLSTICE OCCURS ON DECEMBER 21 OR 22. THE NORTH POLE IS TILTED AWAY FROM THE SUN MARKING THE BEGINNING OF WINTER AND THE SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR. THE VERNAL EQUINOX IS ON MARCH 20 OR 21 AND MARKS THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING WHILE THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX IS ON SEPTEMBER 22 OR 23 AND MARKS THE FIRST DAY OF FALL FOR THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE. ON THESE DAYS WHEN NEITHER HEMISPHERE IS TILTED TOWARDS OR AWAY FROM THE SUN, THERE ARE 12 HOURS OF DAYLIGHT AND 12 HOURS OF DARKNESS. WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN DETERMINING WHAT KINDS OF SEASONS A CERTAIN PLACE ON THE EARTH WOULD EXPERIENCE? THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN DETERMINING WHAT KINDS OF SEASONS A CERTAIN PLACE ON THE EARTH WOULD EXPERIENCE IS THAT PLACE’S POSITION ON THE EARTH. NEAR THE EQUATOR, THESE PLACES WOULD NOT HAVE MUCH OF A VARIATION IN TEMPERATURE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IT WOULD BE WARM ALL OF THE TIME. LIKEWISE, AT EITHER OF EARTH’S POLES, THESE PLACES WOULDN’T EXPERIENCE EXTREME VARIATIONS EITHER. IT WOULD BE COLD MOST OF THE YEAR. IF YOU FELL SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN, YOU WOULD EXPERIENCE A WIDER VARIATION IN TEMPERATURE AND THEREFORE EXPERIENCE MORE DISTINCT SEASONS. WHAT WERE TWO FALSE IDEAS PEOPLE HAD/HAVE ABOUT THE SUN? OVER THE YEARS, PEOPLE HAVE HAD AND MAYBE STILL HAVE FALSE IDEAS ABOUT THE SUN. THE FIRST FALSE IDEA WAS THAT THE SUN AND THE OTHER PLANETS REVOLVED AROUND THE EARTH. GALILEO WAS ARRESTED FOR DISPUTING THIS IDEA SAYING THAT EVERYTHING REVOLVED AROUND THE SUN. SCIENTISTS TODAY USE THIS IDEA TO PREDICT THE POSITIONS OF THE EARTH, THE SUN, AND OTHER OBJECTS IN SPACE. SOME PEOPLE STILL MAY BELIEVE THAT THE SEASONS ARE A RESULT OF THE EARTH’S DISTANCE TO THE SUN. THIS ACTUALLY HAS NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON OUR SEASONS. IN FACT, THE EARTH IS ACTUALLY CLOSER TO THE SUN IN WINTER. IT IS THE EARTH’S TILT ON ITS AXIS THAT PLAYS A SIGNFICANT ROLE IN THE SEAONS WE EXPERIENCE.