I didn’t usually interrupt someone else’s lessons, but I couldn’t let that one stand, so I said something like, “You know, I used to think that was why it was cold in winter – that the sun was further away – but then I found out that our part of the world is actually CLOSER to the sun in the winter! How can that be? We know it’s way colder here in winter, and the reason is that the earth’s axis is tilted…” and I grabbed a globe and demonstrated the way the orientation shifts as the earth revolves around the sun, and tried, at least, to show the idea of the low angle of the sun in winter, and the more direct sunlight in summer. I was an elementary school teacher, and I once walked through a colleague’s classroom as he was telling his class that in summer, the earth is closer to the sun, and in winter it’s further away. ![]() ASIN: B00SKF0ZCU Publisher: Quest Books 1st edition (January 29, 2014). I think you two are actually talking about different things: on the one hand, angle of the sun above the horizon, and on the other hand, actual distance between the earth and the sun? Celebrate the Solstice: Honoring the Earths Seasonal Rhythms through Festival. If you choose to contribute, you may go to and click on the yellow “donate” button. Naturally Curious is supported by donations. So the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year while the summer solstice is the longest day of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere the summer solstice happens in June, and in the Southern Hemisphere, the solstice happens in December (this is why the seasons are reversed in each hemisphere). Solstice occurs when the sun reaches its northern or southernmost point (in June and December) - when its path is farthest from the equator. But before the year 68 B.C.E., the sun used to line up with another constellation. During the vernal (spring) equinox, the sun crosses in front of the constellation Pisces. (Equinoxes are opposite on either side of the equator, so the autumnal (fall) equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is the spring (vernal) equinox in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.) 1901 Never, Uranus doesn't have a summer solstice. The September equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from north to south and vice versa in March. ![]() ![]() Your students will complete interactives, watch engaging videos, and read online to learn about the seasons, equinoxes, and solstices. In September and March during the equinoxes, all areas of the Earth’s surface receive the same amount of sunlight. Created by Science Is Real Editable MS Word, PDF, and Google Slides all included This Seasons webquest makes a great introduction, sub-plan, guided practice, or student-led extension activity. The biggest difference between the equinox and the solstice is that an equinox is the point during the Earth’s orbit around the sun at which the sun is at its closest distance from the equator, while during a solstice, it’s at its greatest distance from the equator. Both signify a change of season, but they are very different phenomena. Each year there are two equinoxes and two solstices. Today is the autumnal equinox – night and day are of almost exactly equal length, twelve hours each.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |