Rotation and Revolution

Introduction to Earth’s movement

• Introduction: The Earth undergoes two fundamental movements that

shape our daily lives and the environment.
• Rotation: The Earth spins on its axis, causing the cycle of day and
night.
• Revolution: The Earth orbits around the Sun, creating the seasonal
changes we experience throughout the year.
• Purpose: Understanding these movements helps explain natural
phenomena like the change in weather, day-night cycle, time zones,
and seasons.
 What is Earth’s rotation?

• Definition: Rotation refers to the Earth’s spinning motion around its

own axis.
• Time Period: Earth completes one full rotation in approximately 24
hours, which gives us the cycle of day and night.
• Earth's Axis: The axis is an imaginary line that runs from the North
Pole to the South Pole.The Earth's rotation is tilted by about 23.5
degrees, which influences the length of day and night in different
seasons.
• Direction of Rotation: The Earth rotates from west to east, which is
why the Sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west.
 Effects of Earth’s Rotation
The major effects of rotation are :
1. Day and Night Cycle:The Earth’s rotation causes the cycle of day and night,
which lasts approximately 24 hours.As Earth rotates, the side facing the
Sun experiences daylight, while the side opposite experiences night.
2. Coriolis Effect: Due to the Earth’s rotation, moving air and water are
deflected, creating the Coriolis effect. This causes wind and ocean currents
to curve rather than travel in straight lines.
• Northern Hemisphere: Winds curve to the right.
• Southern Hemisphere: Winds curve to the left.
3. Sunrise and sunset: They are caused due to earth’s rotation from west to
east.The part of earth that moves from darkness into sun’s rays
experiences sunrise and when it moves away from the sun’s rays,it
experiences sunset.
 What is Earth’s revolution?
1. Definition:Earth's revolution is the movement of the Earth around
the Sun in a fixed, elliptical (oval-shaped) orbit. This movement is
responsible for the cycle of the seasons on Earth.
2. Time Period: 1 Full Revolution = 365.25 days.This is the length of
one year. Due to the extra 0.25 days, we have a leap year every 4
years, adding an extra day (February 29) to keep our calendar in
sync with Earth's revolution.
3. Key Points:
• The Earth's orbit is elliptical, not perfectly circular.
• The Earth travels at an average speed of 100,000 km/h as it moves
around the Sun.
 Effects of Earths Revolution
• Here are major effects of revolution
1. Seasons
• Main Effect: The Earth’s revolution around the Sun, combined with the tilt of
its axis, is responsible for the changing seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and
winter).
• Why It Happens: As Earth orbits the Sun, different parts of the planet are
tilted towards or away from the Sun, leading to variations in the amount of
sunlight received, thus creating seasons.
• Example: When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun, it
experiences summer, while the Southern Hemisphere experiences winter
(and vice versa).
2. Length of Daylight
• As Earth moves along its orbit, the length of daylight changes throughout the
year. Near the solstices (the points in Earth’s orbit where the tilt is most
extreme), some regions experience longer days or shorter days, which affects
daily temperatures and weather patterns.
• Example: In summer, the days are longer, providing more sunlight, while in
winter, the days are shorter.
3. Temperature Variations
• The Earth's revolution, along with its axial tilt, creates temperature
differences between the seasons, impacting climate patterns.
• Example: In the summer, areas receiving direct sunlight experience warmer
temperatures, while in winter, when the tilt causes those areas to receive less
direct sunlight, temperatures drop.
4. Creation of heat zones
The spherical shape of the earth along with its
movement around the sun causes the
difference in the angles at which the sun’s rays
fall on the earth surface.This causes difference
in the distribution of Earth on the earth
surface as a result the world has been divided
into 3 distinct heat or temperate zones.
1. The Torrid zone:
2. The Temperate zone:
3. The Frigid zone:
5. Solstice and Equinox
1. Solstice
• It refers to the time when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at
noon,resulting in the shortest or longest days of the year.
• It happens twice a year on June 21 (summer solstice) and Decenber 22(winter solstice).
2. Equinox
• It refers to time when the sun crosses the plane of the earth’s Equator, making night and
day of equal length.
• It happens twice a year, around March 21 (Spring or Vernal Equinox) and September 23
(Autumnal Equinox).
 Difference between Solstice and Equinox
Solstice Equinox

1. Solstice refers to the time 1. Equinox refers to time when

when the sun reaches its the sun crosses the plane of
highest or lowest point in the the earth’s Equator, making
sky at noon, resulting in the night and day of equal length.
shortest and longest days of 2. It happens twice a year,
the year. around March 21 (Spring or
2. It happens twice a year on Vernal Equinox) and
June 21 (summer solstice) and September 23 (Autumnal
December 22 (winter solstice). Equinox).
3. It happens during summer and 3. It happens at the start of
winter. spring and autumn.