Last lesson, we learned that the Earth is always rotating at 1,040 miles per hour. This causes day and night. Did you know that the Earth is also moving along with rotating? Our Earth is moving around the Sun while it rotates. It takes the Earth 365 days (1 year) to orbit completely around the Sun. This movement around the Sun is called "revolution" by scientists. Just like the Earth's rotation causes day and night, the Earth's movement around the sun (revolution) plays a roll the four seasons we see yearly.
Many people believe seasons are caused by Earth's distance to the sun changing. However, the seasons are caused by Earth's 23 degree tilt. We haven't talked much about degree measurements in class, but this tilt means that Earth is lying slightly sideways instead of being straight up and down.
Many people believe seasons are caused by Earth's distance to the sun changing. However, the seasons are caused by Earth's 23 degree tilt. We haven't talked much about degree measurements in class, but this tilt means that Earth is lying slightly sideways instead of being straight up and down.
Answer these following questions on a piece of paper.
1) What is the difference between the earth's "rotation" and "revolution?"
2) In sentence two of the first paragraph of this page, the word "orbit" most likely means?
a) to move around something
b) a name for a space ship
c) another name for the sun
3) According to the video, if it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere it is what season in the Northern Hemisphere?
4) How long does it take the Earth to move around the Sun?
a) 24 hours
b) 365 days ( 1 year)
c) Earth does not move around the Sun, it only rotates.
Outside the Box Thinking
Include the answer to this question on the paper you used for the other four questions on this page.
5) You arrived home from school and your sibling asks you what causes the seasons. He or she believes that seasons are caused by how close the Earth is to the Sun. From what you've learned in this lesson, how can you explain to your sibling that seasons are not caused by the distance of Earth to the Sun?
5) You arrived home from school and your sibling asks you what causes the seasons. He or she believes that seasons are caused by how close the Earth is to the Sun. From what you've learned in this lesson, how can you explain to your sibling that seasons are not caused by the distance of Earth to the Sun?