THE EARTH’S MOTIONS

The Earth exhibits three kinds of motions:

1.Earth’s daily rotation on its axis.

2. Earth’s annual revolution around the sun.
3. Earth’s precession
1.The Earth’s Rotation
- It is the turning of the earth on its axis.
- Period of rotation- 23 hours and 56 minutes
- Rate of rotation- 1664 km/hr

2.The Earth’s Revolution

- Period of revolution- 365 days, 5 hrs 46 s(365 ¼
days)
- At aphelion (the point on the Earth’s orbit farthest from the sun) it is
about 153.05 million km from the sun. (Early in July)
- At perihelion (the point on the Earth’s orbit nearest the sun) is about
147 million km from the sun. (January)
THE EARTH’S SEASONS
 1.Summer
 -The sun is nearer the center of the sky; rays fall directly
to the ground and the radiation is more intense and more
concentrated.
 -This is the hottest time of the year.
 - This begins about June 22 in the northern hemisphere
and December 22 in the southern hemisphere.

2.Winter
- The sun is lower,that is, nearer the horizon.
 -heating is less intense and the nights are longer than the
day.
- The longest night of the year occurs in December 22 in
the north and June 22 in the south.
 3.Spring or Vernal Equinox
 -All part of the earth receive the samamount of sunlight.
 - Daytime is equal to night time or there is equal hours of
days and nights.
 - In the Northern Hemisphere, it begins on the 21st day of
March.
4. Autumn or Fall Equinox
- Direct rays of the sun strike the equator.
- 12 hours of days and nights throughout the world.
- In the Northern Hemisphere, it starts on the 23rd day of
September
3. The Earth’s Precession
- It is the conical movement of the Earth’s axis around a line joining the poles.
- It lasts for a period of 25,780 years.
- It is the conical motion of a spinning top but opposite in direction to that of the rotation of the earth.