Reading in Philippine History: Milben T. Paras Beed 1B

READING IN PHILIPPINE
HISTORY
MILBEN T. PARAS
BEED 1B
READING IN PHILIPPINE
HISTORY
JINKY DIANNA G. DE MESA

BEED 1B
EARTH'S REVOLUTION
In addition to rotating on its axis, the Earth also travels around the sun in a path called an orbit.
The motion around the sun along its orbit is called a revolution. The amount of time it takes for a single
trip around the sun is called a period of revolution. The period for the Earth to revolve around the sun is
365.24 days or one year. The .24 days is why every four years February has 29 days.
Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle. Instead Earth's orbit is slightly elliptical in shape. The picture
below shows the Earth's revolution around the sun.
The following diagram shows Earth's revolution during different times of the year. Pay close
attention to the direction of the Earth's titled axis.
An imaginary line, the equator, runs horizontally around the center of the Earth dividing Earth
into two hemispheres. The area above the equator is referred to as the Northern Hemisphere while the
area below the equator is called the Southern Hemisphere.
Texas is in the Northern Hemisphere. During our summer we have warmer temperatures and
longer days because the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun and receives more solar energy.
However, the Southern Hemisphere has colder temperatures and shorter days because it is tilted away
from the sun. This would be the Southern Hemisphere's winter
When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, we experience winter in Texas. The
temperatures are lower and the days are shorter because we are receiving less solar energy. However
the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun causing higher temperatures and longer days. This
would be the Southern Hemisphere's summer.
SEASONS
A common misconception many people have is that the seasons are caused by the distance of
the Earth from the sun. This is not true. Because Earth's orbit around the sun is slightly elliptical, Earth is
actually slightly closer to the sun in the winter than it is in the summer. Remember that in section 2 of
this lesson we discussed that Earth's axis was tilted about 23.5 degrees. It is the tilt of Earth's axis that
causes the seasons.
Seasons happen because Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of about 23.4 degrees and different
parts of Earth receive more solar energy than others.
Earth's orbit around

the Sun is elliptical.
Seasons are caused by Earth's axial tilt and temperatures and nature's processes are affected.
Because of Earth's axial tilt (obliquity), our planet orbits the Sun on a slant which means different areas
of Earth point toward or away from the Sun at different times of the year. Around the June solstice, the
North Pole is tilted toward the Sun and the Northern Hemisphere gets more of the Sun's direct rays. This
is why June, July and August are summer months in the Northern Hemisphere.
Opposite Seasons
At the same time, the Southern Hemisphere points away from the Sun, creating winter during
the months of June, July and August. Summer in the Southern Hemisphere is in December, January,
and February, when the South Pole is tilted toward the Sun and the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away.
Axis Tilts the Same Way
Earth's axis is the imaginary red line.
Earth's axis is the imaginary red line that runs through the North and South. The direction
of Earth's tilt nearly doesn't change – the two hemispheres point toward the same position in space
through the entire year. What does change, as Earth revolves around the Sun, is the position of the
hemispheres in relation to the Sun – the Northern Hemisphere points toward the Sun during the
northern summer and away from the Sun during the northern winter.
Elliptical Path Around the Sun

Earth's path around the Sun is not circular, nor is the Sun situated at the center of this path.
Instead, Earth's orbit is elliptical, with the Sun closer to one end of the orbital path than the other. This
means that Earth’s distance from the Sun varies throughout the year.
Distance Does Not Cause Seasons
 Spring
 Summer
 Fall
 Winter
The four seasons are caused by Earth's axial tilt. It is a common misconception that seasons occur
because of Earth's elliptical orbit around the Sun, with winter occurring when Earth is farthest away from
the Sun, and summer when it is closest to it.
However, our planet's distance from the Sun has little effect on the onset of seasons. In fact, Earth
is closest to the Sun, or at its Perihelion, around the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice, while it is
farthest away from the Sun, or at its Aphelion, around the north's summer solstice.

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Reading in Philippine History: Milben T. Paras Beed 1B

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READING IN PHILIPPINE

JINKY DIANNA G. DE MESA

Earth's orbit around

Earth's axis is the imaginary red line.

Elliptical Path Around the Sun

Distance Does Not Cause Seasons

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