THE ROTATION OF THE EARTH ON ITS AXIS

FOUCAULT PENDULUM SHOWS EVIDENCE OF EARTH’S ROTATION ON ITS AXIS

THE APPARENT RISING OF THE SUN, ITS MOVEMENT ACROSS THE SKY AND THE SETTING OF THE SUN ARE DUE TO THE ROTATION OF THE EARTH ON ITS AXIS

THE STARS IN THE NIGHT SKY APPEARS TO MOVE ALONG A SIMILAR PATH

SOLAR NOON IS WHEN THE SUN IS AT ITS HIGHEST POINT IN THE SKY

FROM SUNRISE TO NOON THE LENGTH OF SHADOWS DECREASES AND FROM NOON TO EVENING THE LENGTH OF SHADOWS DECREASES.

Shadow is longest during morning or evening

Shadow is smallest but darkest at noon

Earth and the other planets in the solar system make regular orbits around the Sun; the orbital path is an ellipse and is controlled by gravity

The Earth is rotating on its axis while simultaneously revolving around the Sun.

The Revolution of the Earth causes some constellations to be seen during one part of the year and not during other parts of the year. As our planet moves to the left, the background constellations appear to drift to the right or westward.

Typical Night Sky (a) A typical summer sky above the United States. Some prominent stars (labeled in lowercase letters) and constellations (labeled in all capital letters) are shown.

(b) A typical winter sky above the United States.

The view of the night sky changes as Earth moves in its orbit about the Sun. As drawn here, the night side of Earth faces a different set of constellations at different times of the year. The twelve constellations named here comprise the astrological zodiac.

EARTH’S ORBIT IS AN OVAL SHAPE CALLED AN ELLIPSE

Farther from sun

Closer to sun

Major axis

Minor axis

FOCI POINTS

To calculate eccentricity:

1.Measure the distance between the two 2 foci points.

2. Measure the length of the Major axis.

3. Divide the two numbers

Eccentricity = distance between foci                                      length of major axis  

ECCENTRICITY - THE HIGHER THE VALUE, THE MORE FLATTENED THE SHAPE OF THE ORBIT IS, THE LOWER THE VALUE, THE MORE CIRCULAR THE ORBIT IS

Earth’s distance from the sun varies due to its elliptical orbit. The velocity of Earth’s orbit is faster when it is closer to the sun and slower when it is farther from the sun.