GEOGRAPHY

CLASS VI
CHAPTER 3 MOTIONS OF THE EARTH

For long humans believed that the earth was the centre of the universe and the other heavenly bodies moved
around it. Finally Galileo and Copernicus put forward the view that the Sun is the centre of the Universe and
the earth and the other planets move around it.
The two motions of the earth –Rotation and Revolution are very important as they steer the world with their
rhythmic beat of events like day and night, cycle of seasons and many other phenomena.
ROTATION :
 The spinning of the earth around its axis is called rotation.
 The axis of the earth is inclined at an angle of 66½⁰ from the orbital plane, because of this tilt the
northern and southern hemisphere lean towards and away from the sun in turns.
 Due to the spherical shape of the earth, only half of it gets light from the sun at a time. The second half
is in darkness.
 The portion that receives sunlight experiences day while the dark portion has night.
 The earth takes about 24 hours or one day to complete one rotation. The period of rotation is known as
the earthday
 Thus rotation is called the diurnal or daily motion of the earth.

ARE THE DAYS AND NIGHTS OF EQUAL LENGTH?

 Days and nights are not always of equal length. Areas located near the Equator have 12 hours of
daylight throughout the year. The poles experience daylight continuously for six months followed by
continuous darkness for six months.
 During summer, the northern hemisphere remains inclined towards the Sun. So, there are longer hours
of daylight during summer. In contrast, southern hemisphere is away from the Sun, and experiences
longer hours of darkness and therefore has longer nights.
 During winters, the northern hemisphere remains away from the Sun. So, there are longer hours of
darkness. In contrast, southern hemisphere is inclined towards the Sun, and experiences longer hours of
daylight.
 This variation in day and night is due to the inclination of the earth on its axis.

EFFECTS OF ROTATION
1. Formation of day and night
2. Concept of directions due to sunrise and sunset
3. Concept of time
4. Apparent movement of the earth from west to east.

REVOLUTION
 The movement of the earth around the Sun in a fixed path or orbit is called revolution.
 Revolution is also called the annual motion of the earth.
 The earth revolves in the anticlockwise direction at a speed of about 100000 kilometres per hour.
 The earth completes one revolution in 365days and 6 hours. This time is taken as a year.

LEAP YEAR
As we have learnt that the time taken by the earth to complete on revolution is 365 days and 6 hours. For
convenience, we count only 365 days in a year and the balance of six hours is added, after every four years it
becomes one complete day. This surplus day is added to the month of February thus every fourth year February
has 29 days instead of 28 days. Such a year with 366 days is called a leap year and the extra day is called a
leap day.
 EFFECTS OF REVOLUTION
1. Variation in the length of days and nights.
2. Distribution of heat and light over the earth.
3. Changes in seasons.
THE CYCLE OF SEASONS
 A year is usually divided into four seasons – Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
 Season changes when there is change in the position of the earth with reference to the Sun.
 These changes are due to -
 The revolution of the earth
 The inclination of the earth’s axis in a fixed direction.

Revolution of the earth and the seasons

 This figure shows four positions of the earth, each at an interval of about three months.
 In all these positions, the axis of the earth makes an angle of 66 ½⁰ with the plane of its orbit.
 The direction of its inclination always remains the same.

POSITION ON 21ST JUNE- SUMMER SOLSTICE

 The North Pole inclined towards the sun, while the South Pole is away from it.
 The rays of the sun falls vertically not on the equator but on the Tropic of Cancer (23 ½ ⁰ N).
 The greater part of the Northern Hemisphere receives the rays of the sun.
 The days are longer, nights are shorter. Therefore, the Northern Hemisphere is having the summer
season.
 In comparison, the rays of the sun are slanting in the Southern Hemisphere. Hence, days are shorter and
nights are longer. Thus the Southern Hemisphere is having the winter season.

POSITION ON 22ND DECEMBER- WINTER SOLSTICE

 The South Pole is inclined towards the sun, while the North Pole is away from the sun.
 The vertical rays of the sun are now falling on places at Tropic of Capricorn (23 ½ ⁰ S).
 The days are longer and the nights are shorter in the Southern Hemisphere. It is, therefore, summer in
the Southern Hemisphere and winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

23RD SEPTEMBER AND 21ST MARCH

 On 23 September and 21 March the rays of the sun fall vertically on the equator at noon.
 Both the poles receive the rays of the sun. As a result, exactly one half portion of each hemisphere
receives the sun’s rays, making day and night equal all over the world on these two days.
 On 23 September, it is the autumn season in the Northern Hemisphere and the spring season in the
 Southern Hemisphere.
 The opposite is the case on 21 March, when it is spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the
Southern Hemisphere.

21 JUNE 23 SEPTEMBER 22 DECEMBER 21 MARCH

TILT OF NH-towards the sun. NH-away from the sun.

THE EARTH SH- away from the sun SH- towards the sun

VERTICAL Tropic of Cancer Equator Tropic of Capricorn Equator

SUNRAYS

SEASONS NH-Summer NH-Autumn NH- Winter NH- Spring

SH-Winter SH-Spring SH- Summer SH- Autumn

LENGTH OF NH-longer days, Equal length of NH- shorter days, longer Equal length of
THE shorter nights days and nights nights days and nights
DAY/NIGHT SH- shorter days, SH- longer days, shorter
longer nights nights

*NH- Northern Hemisphere, SH- Southern Hemisphere