Why is it so hot here in the
summer?
The Earth in Space
TEK 8.7A – the student knows the effects resulting from cyclical movements of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. The student is
expected to model and illustrate how the tilted Earth rotates on its axis, causing day and night, and revolves around the sun
causing changes in seasons.
Rotation - Earth spinning on its axis
Earth’s rotation on its axis
causes day and night
It takes 24 hours for Earth
to rotate once on its axis
Earth rotates in a counter-
clockwise direction
Earth rotates at about
1,600 kilometers per hour
Rotation Animation Day and Night Song
Revolution
The movement of one object around another object
Earth travels (revolves) around
the sun
One complete revolution
around the sun equals a year
It is a curved path (elliptical)
followed by Earth as it moves
around the Sun
Earth’s orbit is about 365 ¼
days (Leap year every four
years)
Revolution
Now You Try!
Stand in place, and make one complete
turn (You have just rotated)
Take a trip around your chair (You have
just revolved
Do you think you can rotate and revolve at
the same time? Try it now!
Think about what a
spinning top, a race
car on an oval track,
and a globe have in
common
Turn to your neighbor and explain…
What is the difference between
Earth’s rotation and Earth’s
revolution?
Earth in Space
Earth
rotates revolves
Around the
On its axis sun
causing causing
Day and
night Years
So now you understand day and
night –
What about seasons?
A Year in 40 seconds
Tilt A Whirl!
Earth has seasons
because its axis is
tilted as it revolves
around the sun
If Earth’s axis were
straight up and down,
temperatures would
remain constant year
round (no seasons)
Seasons
• Seasons are
caused by the tilt
in Earth’s axis
• The tilt causes
uneven heating by
the sun (seasons)
Why is it warmer near the equator
than near the poles?
At the equator - sunlight
hits Earth’s surface more
directly
Near the north and south
poles - sunlight hits
Earth’s surface at an
angle (energy from the
sun is spread out over a
greater area)
The Earth’s Tilt
The Earth's axis is tilted by 23.5°
Earth’s axis always points in same
direction (towards Polaris - the North Star)
Earth’s Tilted Axis
Earth’s axis is tilted away from the sun for part
of the year and toward the sun for part of the
year
When tilted toward the sun – summer
When tilted away from the sun - winter
Note: Summer and winter are not affected by
changes in Earth’s distance from the sun.
Summer in the Northern
Hemisphere
Winter in the Northern
Hemisphere
As the Earth moves around the
Sun, this axis always stays
pointing in the same direction.
Look at the direction of the axis during each
season.
Direct vs. Indirect Light
ct
Indire
t
Direc
When the northern hemisphere is leaning away from
the sun, the rays coming from it hits this part of the
Earth at a smaller (slanted) angle compared to other
parts of the world
These are called indirect rays
Indirect rays - same amount of energy spread over a
larger area of the earth therefore it receives less
energy (heat)
Winter Sun (Indirect)
Summer Sun (Direct)
Winter Sun (Indirect)
Summer Sun (Direct)
Seasons
Direct sunlight gets more heating
Indirect sunlight gets less heating
Misconception Alert!
Seasons are NOT caused by the changing
distance the Earth is from the Sun.
The Earth travels in an elliptical orbit, so the
distance does vary – but not enough to cause
the change in temperature associated with
seasons!
When the southern hemisphere is
experiencing summer, the northern
hemisphere has winter (what do you
know about Australia?)
6 months later, the situation reverses,
and it is now winter in the southern
hemisphere since that part of the
earth is now leaning away from the
sun
The energy that hits the Earth by the Sun changes
over of the year
The angle the Sun is above the horizon
determines how much heat and light strike each
square meter of ground
This means that in summer, the
ground receives more energy (more
heat) per square meter than in the
winter.
More energy is received by the
ground during the summer (high
temperatures) and less energy during
the winter (lower temperatures).
Sun’s Angle Analogy
If you had $100.00 to divide among 50
people what would each person get?
If you had the same $100.00 to divide
among 100 people what would each
person get?
If you had the same $100.00 to divide
among 200 people, what would each
person get?
Sun’s Angle = money
Think of the money as the sun’s power
The sun always shines with the same
amount of power, just like the $100.00.
If you had to spread the power over a
larger area, there would be less power
(heating) to go around on that area on
Earth.
Just like there is less money for each
person if the number of people grows.
Changes in the Sun’s Angle
Summer
Sun is more directly
overhead
Sun’s energy is
concentrated
Winter
The sun is less directly
overhead
Sun’s energy is less
concentrated
Seasons and Earth’s Tilt
Big Idea:
The seasons are the result of:
1) the tilt of the Earth's axis, and
2) revolution around the sun
Ifthe tilt of the Earth's axis was 0°
there would be no difference in how
the rays from the sun hit its different
regions (there would be no seasons)
Review
Look closely at where the Sun is hitting the Earth
during each season:
http://Search.Lycos.com/setup.asp?r=5&src=clear2&query=weather+savvy
Solstice
Solstice: Either of the two times in the year,
the summer solstice and the winter
solstice, when the sun reaches its highest
or lowest point in the sky at noon, marked
by the longest and shortest days.
Make a quick T chart
in your notes
Winter Solstice Summer Solstice
Winter Solstice
• The northern hemisphere is pointed furthest away from
the sun
• The sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn
• The shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere
Summer Solstice
• The northern hemisphere is pointed furthest toward the
sun
• The sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer
• The longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere
Solstices
On two days each year, the
noon sun is overhead at either
23.5° S or 23.5° N – solstices.
Winter Solstice
23.5° S
in the northern hemisphere
December 21st
shortest day of the year
Summer Solstice
23.5° N
in the northern hemisphere
June 21st
Longest day of the year
Equinox
Equinox: the date (twice each year) at
which the sun crosses the equator,
therefore day and night are of equal length
(about September 22 and March 20).
Make a quick T chart
in your notes
Spring Equinox Fall Equinox
Spring and Fall Equinox
• Vernal (spring) and autumnal (fall) equinox -
the sun is directly over the equator
• Days and nights are equal in length
Earth in March and September
Equinox (means - Equal night)
Halfwaybetween the solstices, neither
hemisphere is tilted toward or away from
the sun
Thenoon sun is directly overhead at the
equator
Vernal (Spring) Equinox
March 21st
Marks the beginning
of spring in the
northern hemisphere
Autumnal Equinox
September 23rd
Marks the beginning
of fall in the northern
hemisphere
Equinoxes and Solstices
Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=p6Tz836Avh4
Seasons Animation
