Earth’s Journey Through Space
December 16th 2010 12:44
Category: No Category
As we journey through space we are doing so at a speed of over 100,000 km per hour, yet don't feel a thing.
The earth is travelling around the sun at just over 100,000s Kilometres per hour. The Earth spins on its axis of 1000 mph and we are completely oblivious. In a sense we are space travelers without realizing it.
The only cues we have is the moving position of the Sun, the stars, day and night.
It is this journey around the sun that gives us the seasons. Many people think that we get spring summer ,autumn and winter because of the distance the earth is from the sun.
This is partly true. The Earth's orbit around the sun is not a perfect circle, Earth's orbit around the sun Is slightly elliptical.
There is a differential difference of 5,000,000 km between the earth’s closest point to the sun and its vantage point away from the Sun.
Surprisingly a difference of 5,000,000 km is not the reason we have seasons.
In fact in the Northern Hemisphere winter the earth is at its closest point to the sun as it can get.
The real reason we experience seasons is the fact that the Earth spins on a tilted axis as it orbits around the sun.
The other factor we have seasons is the amount of sunlight hitting each hemisphere throughout the year.
Currently observers in the southern hemisphere are experiencing summer and are fast approaching our summer solstice also known as the longest day.
December 21. December 21 in the northern hemisphere heralds the beginning of winter although this year 2010 winter has come early with a vengeance.
The Northern hemisphere the 21 of December this year (2010). The winter solstice in the southern hemisphere occurs in the month of June.
It is co incidental that December 21 2010 is the day of the last lunar eclipse for 2010.
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Our weather conditions are determined by both the travel of Spaceship Earth and by ocean currents as well. La Nina and El Nino are two of the major factors. One brings warm water and more rain, the other brings storms and cold. Seasons and weather patterns are very complex, but fascinating to study.
Comment by CarlCan
Astroearth
Camera Sense
Hi S.L.
For us down under we thank the boy child El Nino for the rain we are currently experiencing.
After the a long drought that has lasted over a decade the welcome rain has come to this dry continent Australia.
Summer has started for us and my location in Queensland we are currently experiencing temperatures in the low 30 centigrade with 80 percent humidity, as you would expect at this time of the year.
Although this year we are not going to have as much extreme heat as in past years.
But our thunder storms have increased in intensity so far this year.
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief