Rotation &
Revolution
Chapter-03
There was a Polish astronomer, Nicolaus
Copernicus, also a mathematician and
physicist. In the late 1500s, Copernicus
proved that the solar system is
Heliocentric—that is, the Sun is at the centre
and the planets orbit around it. For
thousands of years, it was believed that the
Earth was at the centre and the other
heavenly bodies revolved around it. We still
say, the 'Sun rises’ and the 'Sun sets'. But the
Sun is stationary and the planets revolve
around it.
Rotation
The Earth spins on its
own axis from West
to East. This is
known as the
rotation of the Earth.
It takes the Earth
one day (24 hours)
to complete one
rotation.
One can explain
rotation as a
spinning top or a
ball spinning in the
air.
Rule of Thumb: Another way to
understand how the Earth rotates
is to hold your right hand with the
thumb pointed upwards. When you
curl your fingers, they will curl in
direction of the Earth's rotation.
Day & Night
The Sun is a fixed
source of heat
and light at the
centre of the solar
system.
The side of the
Earth that is
facing away from
the Sun
experiences
night.
On the other
hand, the side of
the Earth facing
the Sun
experiences day.
The cycle of day
and night occurs
repeatedly, every
day because of
the Earth's
rotation.
Therefore, it is not the
Sun that moves around
the Earth, but the Earth
that spins around Day
and Night the Sun that
causes day and night.
The Sun always
appears to rise in the
East and set in the
West because the
Earth spins from West
to East.
Revolution
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We know that the Earth spins like a
top on its own axis. But the Earth
also circles around the Sun in a
fixed elliptical path called an orbit.
This is known as the revolution of
the Earth around the Sun.
The Earth
completes one
revolution in 365
and ¼ days or 365
days and 6 hours.
Seasons
Seasons | Earth
Space Lab –
interactive 3D
animations
The Earth
experiences a cycle
of four seasons—
summer, autumn,
winter and spring.
The Earth is tilted on its axis at an
angle of about 23 ½. While
revolving around the Sun, in the
months from April to June, the
Northern Hemisphere of the Earth
is tilted towards the Sun while the
Southern Hemisphere is tilted
away from it.
The Northern Hemisphere receives
more hours of sunlight and the
days become longer.
The tilt of the Earth also means
that the rays of the Sun fall
vertically on the Northern
Hemisphere. This hemisphere
experiences summer season.
At the same time, the
Southern Hemisphere is tilted
away from the Sun and as a
result experiences shorter
days. The rays of the Sun in
this hemisphere are more
spread out and less intense.
As the Earth revolves on its orbit,
in the months from November to
January, the Southern Hemisphere
becomes tilted towards the Sun,
experiencing summer, while the
Northern Hemisphere experiences
winter.
Similarly, in the months of February and
March, the Northern Hemisphere
experiences spring while countries in the
Southern Hemisphere experience
autumn. In the month of September,
when the Northern Hemisphere
experiences autumn (or fall), the
Southern Hemisphere experiences
spring.