Why Does it Happen
Explain why day and night happens
The rotation of the earth causes day and night. The side facing the sun is day time, the side facing away is night time
When it is Summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is ____________________ in the Southern Hemisphere
Winter
Which place will have more hours of Daylight on December 21st: the South Pole or New York City?
South Pole, December 21st is the summer solstice there
Define Solstice
The longest or shortest day of the year, there are 2 of them on June and December 21st
How many hours of sunlight will a city at the equator have throughout the year?
About 12 hours
Explain why seasons happen.
The earth's axis is tilted at 23.5 degrees, which causes the hemispheres to face towards the Sun at different parts of the year based on the Earth's revolution.
In summer the N. Hemisphere points towards the Sun, while in winter it points away
When it is fall in the southern hemisphere it will be _______________ in the Northern Hemisphere.
Spring
Which place will have more daylight hours on June 21st: a city at the Equator or the South Pole
The city at the equator, they will have about 12 hours of sunlight on June 21st while the South pole will have almost 0
Define equinox
Days of equal day and night, March and September 21st
How can you look at temperature data and identify a city in the Northern Hemisphere?
Explain why daylight hours are different at different latitudes
The tilt of the earth's axis makes the rotation and day and night cycles change over time
How would seasons change if the Earth's axis was not tilted?
There would be no seasons on Earth, as seasons are caused by the tilt
Which place will have more daylight on March 21st: a city in the Southern Hemisphere or a city in the Northern Hemisphere
Both will be equal on the equinox
Define axis
An imaginary line that runs through the center of the earth through the North and South Pole
What does the earth's axis tilt towards?
The North Star, Polaris
How would seasons change if earth was tilted at 45 degrees instead of 23.5 degrees?
Seasons would be more extreme, summers would be hotter and winters colder, more daylight in summer, less day light in winter
Which place will have less sunlight on December 21st: a city at the North Pole or a city at the Equator
City at the pole will have 0 sunlight on December 21st
Define latitude
Imaginary lines that run east and west, measuring North and South of the Equator
If the earth rotated slower, how would that effect day and night?
Days would be longer, day time would last longer, as would night time
Explain why temperatures change between the different seasons
As the Hemispheres of Earth either tilt towards or away from the sun, the solar angle changes. Higher solar angles result in higher temperature, while lower angles cause lower temperatures
What would happen if the earth was tilted at 90 degrees instead of 23.5?
The earth would have extreme seasons. Northern Hemisphere would have 24 hours of daylight constantly during summer
On June 21st, which place will have more sunlight: New York City, in the Northern Hemisphere, or Buenos Aires, Argentina in the Southern Hemisphere.
New York City in the Northern Hemisphere
Define Frame of Reference
If the earth did not revolve around the sun, but rather stood still, how would that effect seasons?
Seasons would never change, whatever seasons were happening when earth stopped would exist forever