
Axis of Rotation – an imaginary line running
through Earth’s center that allows Earth to
rotate.
 End of the axis are the NORTH and SOUTH
poles.
N
O
R
T
H POLE
S
O
U
T
POLE H

Any location on Earth’s surface moves from
WEST to EAST as Earth turns.
North Pole
The way
Earth Rotates


½ Earth is in Sunlight
½ Earth is in Darkness
If it is noon at one
location , what
time is it at a
location directly
on the other side
of the Earth?
1
FULL rotation on Earth’s
Axis = 1 day (24 Hours)

Revolution – the motion of one object
around another.
The
Earth is
tilted at
about a
23.5
degree
angle.
If Earth’s
rotation and
orbit lined
up perfectly
what would
that mean
for Earth’s
Seasons?

Earth’s orbit is NOT quite a perfect circle.
Earth is about 5
million kilometers
closer to the Sun
148,000,000 km
Earth is about 5
million kilometers
further away then the
Sun
153,000,000 km

Seasons – patterns of temperature changes
and other weather trends over the course of
a year.
Near the
equator,
very little
temperature
changes all
year.
Near the
poles, very
large
changes in
temperature
from winter
to summer.



Equinox – sunlight shines equally on
the northern and southern hemispheres.
Solstice – the area of sunlight is at a
maximum in one hemisphere and a
minimum in the other hemisphere.
Both occur on or around the 21st day of
certain months of the year.
In the North Pole the sun does not set at all for 6 months at a time.
The further
from the
equator the
more extreme
the changes in
day length
become.
Near the
equator, the
periods of
daylight and
darness are
almost equal
year-roudn. ~
12 hours
In the South Pole the sun does not rise for 6 months at a time.
Unit E : Space Science : Chapter
2 : Page 49 : Questions : 1- 6