Movements of the Earth, Tilt, & Seasons

• What do you call the movement of the Earth on its own axis?


  Rotation
• Why does Earth have nights and days?

  The rotation of the Earth is divided into a lit-up half of the Earth and a dark half of the Earth, which gives rise to day and night.
• How many hours does the Earth take to complete its rotation?

  24 hours or 1 day
• In what direction does the Earth move?

  Counterclockwise
• What do you call the movement of the Earth around the Sun in a fixed path?


  Revolution
• The Earth revolves from west to east.
• How long does the Earth take to complete one revolution?

  One year or precisely 365 days
• Rotation is the turning of the Earth on its axis.
• Revolution is the movement of the Earth around the Sun.
• The Earth takes 24 hours to complete a rotation on its axis.
• The Earth takes a full year (365 1⁄4 days) for one complete revolution around the Sun.
• The Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted by 23.45 (or 23.5) degrees. This tilt causes the different seasons of the year.
• The path of the Earth moving around the Sun is called an orbit. The Earth’s orbit is elliptical.
• What is Solstice?

  Refers to a day with either the longest or shortest day
• What is Equinox?

  Refers to a day with equal duration of day and night