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Like the other planets in the Solar System, the Earth moves in two different ways: rotation on its axis, and revolution around the Sun. Both movements have important consequences.
The following terms help to understand these movements:
An imaginary line that passes through the geographic North Pole and the geographic South Pole. These two poles do not coincide exactly with the magnetic poles on a compass.
An imaginary plane that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation. It passes through the equator, which is the imaginary line that divides the Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
An imaginary plane that contains the orbits of most objects orbiting the Sun, including the Earth. It passes through the centre of the Sun.
The seasons are caused by the tilt of the axis of rotation as the Earth orbits the Sun.
When does summer begin in Spain?
Find out
During the year, the Sun's rays strike the Earth at different angles. Look at the picture. Can you tell when is daylight longer in the Iberian Peninsula?
During the summer solstice
YES, that’s right!
The Sun’s rays strike the Iberian Peninsula perpendicular to the ground.
The period of daylight is longer.
During the winter solstice
NO, sorry.
The Sun’s rays strike the Iberian Peninsula at an angle.
The period of daylight is shorter.
Language focus
From the ground, it seems that the Sun orbits the Earth in an arc in the sky that begins at dawn and ends at dusk.
In some latitudes near the poles, the Sun never sets for several weeks during the summer.
But in winter, it never rises at all for several weeks.
Read and choose.
The Earth takes 24 hours, one day, to complete one rotation on its axis.
The rotation of the Earth is responsible for the cycle of day and night.
The Earth rotates towards the east.
The Earth takes 365 days, one year, to complete one revolution in an orbit around the Sun.
The revolution of the Earth is responsible for the annual cycle of seasons.
The equinoxes are the days when day and night are equal length: 12 hours.
The solstices are the days when the difference in length between day and night is the greatest.
The apparent movement of the Sun
The daily movement of the Sun is from east to west.
Summary. The movements of the Earth
1. is the movement that causes the sequence of day and night.
2. The Earth rotates around an imaginary line called .
3. The Earth rotates towards the .
4. The is the moment of the year when day and night are exactly the same lengths.
5. The winter is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
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