Analysis of the seasons due to the tilt of the earth

16 January 2017

Assumptions

• The sun is fixed in space and far enough from the earth that sun rays hit the earth

parallel to the vectors er connecting their centers.

• The earth moves around the sun in a circular orbit of radius R with constant rate

W about the fixed e3 direction, which is perpendicular to the fixed plane of the

orbit. The fixed rectangular Cartesian base vectors are denoted by ei. Actually, the

orbit of the earth is a bit elliptical with the closest distance to the sun being about

146 million km and the longest distance to the sun being about 152 million km.

• The axis of rotation e3'' is tilted in the e1-e3 plane with constant angle d = - 23.5°.

• The earth rotates with constant angular velocity w about its axis e3''.

• Time t is measured in solar days, which is the time that it takes for a fixed point A

on the earth's surface to be closest to the sun and rotate a bit more than one

revolution to be back to a point when it is closest to the sun. The bit more it due

to the fact that the earth's center rotates around the sun as it rotates around it's own

axis. The solar day is taken to be 24 hours.

• The main difference between winter and summer is the number of hours that a

given point A on the earth's surface is exposed to sunlight. This is mainly due to
 the tilt of the earth. The northern hemisphere tilts towards the sun during summer

when the earth is the farthest away from the sun.

• The value of the angular velocity w which forces the first solar day to be 24 is

dependent on the latitude angle. The constant value of w used for all calculations

based on the value for a = 0°.

Kinematics

The center of the earth relative to the fixed center of the sun is denoted as point B and

is located by the vectors xB

xB = R er(q) , q = Wt . (1)

where the cylindrical polar base vectors {er, eq, e3} are defined by (see Fig. 1)

er = cosq e1 + sinq e2 , eq = - sinq e1 + cosq e2 . (2)

The base vector e''i have constant directions with e3'' being the axis of rotation of the

earth (see Fig. 2)

e1'' = cosd e1 + sind e3 , e2'' = e2 , e3'' = - sind e1 + cosd e3 . (3)

Next, let ei' be a set of base vectors fixed to the earth defined by (see Fig. 3)

e1' = cosf e1'' + sinf e2'' , e2' = - sinf e1'' + cosf e2'' , e3' = e3'' , f = wt . (4)

Then, an arbitrary fixed point A on the surface of the earth is characterized by the vector

xA, such that (see Fig. 4)

xA = xB + xA/B , xA/B = r (cosa e1' + sina e3' ) , (5)

where a define the latitude of the point A which is on a fixed longitude defined by the

e1' -e3' plane.

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 By definition, at t = 0 the point A is the point on latitude a that is farthest from the

sun. Sunrise occurs at point A when

xA/B • er = 0 and xA/B • eq > 0 (Sunrise) , (6)

noon occurs at point A when

xA/B • eq = 0 and xA/B • er < 0 (Noon) , (7)

and sunset occurs at point A when

xA/B • er = 0 and xA/B • eq < 0 (Sunset) , (8)

It can be shown that

1
r xA/B er = (cosa cosf cosd - sina sind) cosq + cosa sinf sinq ,
•

1
r xA/B eq = - (cosa cosf cosd - sina sind) sinq + cosa sinf cosq .
• (9)

Examples

For the calculations take

2p rad rad
W = 365.25 [solar day] , w = 2p w [solar day] ,

d = - 23.5° , w = 1.002510783 , a = 0° , 30°, 60° . (10)

The value of w > 1 determines the increase in w required to have one solar day rotate the

earth from solar noon to solar noon. The value w depends on the latitude angle a and the

constant in (10) is determined for a = 0.

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Fig. 1 Predictions of the sunrise relative to the solar noon for a solar day versus the solar

day in the calendar year starting when axis of the earth is in the plane normal to the

earth's orbit.

Fig. 2 Predictions of the sunset relative to the solar noon for a solar day versus the solar

day in the calendar year starting when axis of the earth is in the plane normal to the

earth's orbit.

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Fig. 3 Predictions of the length of a solar day versus the solar day in the calendar year

starting when axis of the earth is in the plane normal to the earth's orbit.

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 e2
eq

B
R er
q = Wt
e1

Fig. 1 Sketch of the earth with center B orbiting around the fixed sun.

e3
e3''

e1''

d
e1
B

Fig. 2 Sketch of the tilted axis e3'' of rotation of the earth

e2''

e2'
e1'

f = wt
e1''
B

Fig. 3 Sketch of the rotating base vectors ei' attached to the earth.

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 e3'

xA/B
r A
a
e1'
B

Fig. 4 Location of a fixed point A on the earth's surface defined by its latitude a.