The earth that spins. If the Earth stops, what will happen? The speed of the earth's rotation. North and South Pole. Effects of centrifugal force
We know perfectly well that our planet rotates around its axis, thanks to which we see day and night. However, the Earth, although very slowly, is gradually slowing down. Scientists say that it will stop completely in many billions of years. People will probably not catch this moment, because by that time the Sun will increase in size and destroy first life on Earth, and then the planet itself. In this article, we will try to simulate the following situation: what will happen if the earth stops rotating in the foreseeable future.
Why does rotation happen at all?
According to the generally accepted theory, the rotation of the Earth is due to processes that took place even at the time of its formation. In those days, clouds of cosmic dust huddled into one "heap", to which other cosmic bodies were attracted. As a result of this confusion, the planet formed over billions of years. And its rotation is due to the inertia that remained after the collision with those very cosmic bodies.
Why is the Earth slowing down?
At the dawn of its existence, our planet rotated much faster. The day then was about 6 hours. The opinion became popular, then most of all the change in the speed of the earth's rotation is influenced by the moon. With its force of attraction, it causes fluctuations in the water level in the earth's oceans. Because of the tides, the Earth seems to sway, which leads to its very slow deceleration.
What would happen if the Earth suddenly stopped?
Yes, this option is almost unbelievable, but why not?
Today, the speed of rotation of the Earth is no less than 1670 km / h. With the sudden stop of the planet, everything that was on its surface, including people, will be instantly swept away due to the effect of centrifugal force. In fact, the Earth will stop, and objects on its surface will continue to move.
This option is perhaps more acceptable to people, because everything will happen so quickly that no one will understand anything. But in the case of the gradual deceleration of the Earth, we will have to experience many devastating consequences.
What will happen if the Earth gradually stops its rotation?
Now let's move on to a more realistic simulation of the situation, if our planet began to slow down much faster and humanity still caught the moment of its stop.
We already know that our planet will stop only in billions of years, but hypothetically it could happen even earlier. Scientists do not exclude that the planet's rotation speed may decrease, for example, due to a collision with an asteroid. Such an event in itself would be disastrous for earthlings, and a slowdown in the planet's rotation would be an unpleasant bonus to everything. But let's imagine that this happened without the participation of huge asteroids, but for more "invisible reasons."
Light and darkness
The first thing that comes to mind is eternal day on one hemisphere and eternal night on the other. In fact, these are trifles compared to other global changes, ranging from terrible cataclysms to the redistribution of the waters of the oceans, which will lead to the mass death of all life on the planet.
The concept of day will disappear. On one side of the Earth there will be eternal day. At the same time, constant sunshine will destroy many plants, and the soil will dry out and crack. Dark side The earth will be like a snowy tundra. Scientists believe that an intermediate region between day and night will be more or less suitable.
Equator without oceans
The waters of the oceans will change their location, shifting from the equator to the poles. That is the equatorial line will become one large piece of land, and many continental zones closer to the poles will be flooded. The fact is that our planet is slightly convex due to rotation, so it has a kind of “hump” along the equator. Thus, after the Earth stops, the waters of the World Ocean will cease to be evenly retained and will actually “drain” from the equator.
Climate and the habitability of the planet
In addition to the fact that land and oceans will look different on Earth, the climate will also change dramatically. Right now the winds are blowing parallel to the equator, but if what happens happens, they will blow from the equator towards the poles. The trends will naturally change. It is difficult to say what climatic conditions will be in a particular region, but you can be sure that one hemisphere will be arid, and the other incredibly cold.
The atmosphere of the Earth, like ocean waters, will become denser closer to the poles, and thinner at the equator.
Due to the fact that the metal core of the Earth rotates, there is a magnetic field around it. It provides protection from the destructive solar wind and from high-energy particles from space. Without rotation, there will be no magnetic field, and therefore, all living things will die under direct sunlight.
Among the representatives of animal and plant species will be inevitable. Flooding of large areas, climate change, natural disasters - all this will clearly reduce the diversity of life on Earth.
Can people survive?
Certainly people would be able to adapt to the new conditions. There aren't many places left to survive. People will be able to live in small areas on the border of day and night. In such places there will be an eternal dawn or sunset, depending on the hemispheres. In addition, it will not be possible to settle along the entire “favorable line”, since a large part of the land will be flooded by oceans, and you will have to choose an area where there will be optimal atmospheric pressure and temperature.
It is possible that due to dangerous cosmic radiation, people will have to move underground and organize their livelihoods there, and spacesuits will be needed to walk on the surface.
Our planet is in constant motion, it revolves around the Sun and its own axis. The earth's axis is an imaginary line drawn from the North to the South Pole (they remain motionless during rotation) at an angle of 66 0 33 ꞌ with respect to the plane of the Earth. People cannot notice the moment of rotation, because all objects are moving in parallel, their speed is the same. It would look exactly the same as if we were sailing on a ship and did not notice the movement of objects and objects on it.
A full rotation around the axis is completed within one sidereal day, consisting of 23 hours 56 minutes and 4 seconds. During this interval, then one or the other side of the planet turns towards the Sun, receiving from it a different amount of heat and light. In addition, the rotation of the Earth around its axis affects its shape (flattened poles are the result of the planet's rotation around its axis) and the deviation when bodies move in a horizontal plane (rivers, currents and winds of the Southern Hemisphere deviate to the left, Northern - to the right).
Linear and angular speed of rotation
(Earth rotation)
The linear speed of the Earth's rotation around its axis is 465 m/s or 1674 km/h in the equatorial zone, as we move away from it, the speed gradually slows down, at the North and South Poles it is equal to zero. For example, for citizens of the equatorial city of Quito (the capital of Ecuador in South America), the rotation speed is just 465 m / s, and for Muscovites living on the 55th parallel north of the equator - 260 m / s (almost half as much) .
Every year, the speed of rotation around the axis decreases by 4 milliseconds, which is associated with the influence of the Moon on the strength of sea and ocean ebb and flow. The pull of the Moon "pulls" the water in the opposite direction to the Earth's axial rotation, creating a slight frictional force that slows the rotation rate by 4 milliseconds. The rate of angular rotation remains the same everywhere, its value is 15 degrees per hour.
Why does day turn into night
(The change of night and day)
The time of a complete rotation of the Earth around its axis is one sidereal day (23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds), during this time period the side illuminated by the Sun is first “in the power” of the day, the shadow side is at the mercy of the night, and then vice versa.
If the Earth rotated differently and one of its sides was constantly turned towards the Sun, then there would be heat(up to 100 degrees Celsius) and all the water would evaporate, on the other side - on the contrary, frosts raged and the water was under a thick layer of ice. Both the first and second conditions would be unacceptable for the development of life and the existence of the human species.
Why do the seasons change
(Change of seasons on earth)
Because the axis is tilted with respect to earth's surface under certain angle, its sections receive at different times a different amount of heat and light, which causes the change of seasons. According to the astronomical parameters necessary to determine the season, some points in time are taken as reference points: for summer and winter, these are the Solstice Days (June 21 and December 22), for spring and autumn, the Equinoxes (March 20 and September 23). From September to March, the Northern Hemisphere is turned towards the Sun for less time and, accordingly, receives less heat and light, hello winter-winter, the Southern Hemisphere at this time receives a lot of heat and light, long live summer! 6 months pass and the Earth moves to the opposite point of its orbit and the Northern Hemisphere already receives more heat and light, the days become longer, the Sun rises higher - summer is coming.
If the Earth were located in relation to the Sun exclusively in vertical position, then the seasons would not exist at all, because all points on the half illuminated by the Sun would receive the same and uniform amount of heat and light.
Since childhood, you have been bombarded with information about the Round Earth, which moves around the Sun, plus it rotates around its own axis. Drawings, films, atlases, maps, even weather forecasts and film studio logos are made with the globe of the Earth.
But once you think about it For what?“at least for a minute, you understand that you zombie. And the Flat Earth is much more obvious, simple and beautiful than the most incredible attempts to make you believe EARS, and not EYES or FEELINGS.
Do you know why Flat Earth is so popular with ordinary people?
1. From the window looks flat to the horizon.
2. The earth feels stationary. Any part of the world. At the Pole and at the Equator.
3. The sun and moon look the same in size. Although you are persistently buzzing in your ears that the Moon is 400 times closer, and 400 times smaller than the Sun. Ideal " 2
» 400 matches.
4. 99% of photographs from space are simply created by NASA PHOTOSHOP, or assembled from pieces. Flat pieces of the Flat Earth stretched over the Ball.
Therefore, one does not have to go far to understand why the Flat Earth is understandable to people. She is attractive and you have always felt that Beauty should be simple.
Because always
« ingenious = simple»
Today is our Final Scene.
We will discuss one more thing that puts an end to the conversation about the Round or Flat Earth. We will discuss how Earth is spinning.
As always, help us Professor Sharov (PS ) from the official point of view, Professor Wonderful (PZ ) with an original point of view. And you make a choice which explanation you like best.
That is, YOU DECIDE- "Round Earth or not" as a result of the vote I will give you 5 easy examples, and you put your ratings.
Play: Star Wars. The flat earthers strike back."
Scene 3. "Planet Earth Spinning?"
Introduction:
Let's check our reality based on 5 examples. I will put a vote after each of the examples so that readers can appreciate the explanations of the professors.
Question 1. How does water hold onto the spinning Earth? Examples: washing machine, carousel and hammers of the Olympians.
Question 2. As the ashes of moving volcanoes and explosions rise vertically UP. And the smoke from a moving train always goes BACK. LOTS OF PHOTOS.
Question 3. How bombs from an aircraft hit the target + the flight time of the East-West aircraft. Flights and SCREENSHOTS.
Question 4. A person's jump from a height of 30 km = "". How they take us for fools.
Question 5.Shooting Artillery and
Conclusions.
Introduction.
You : Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen PS And PZ. We haven't seen each other for a long time, and I want to ask you so many questions. Today we finally managed to meet, and let's get down to business.
I have questions and want to find out what is the best explanation with your help.
PS : With pleasure.
You : Professor Sharov, tell us the official version of how the Earth is spinning so that we can refresh our memory of physics and geography.
PS : The earth rotates on its axis from West to East.
The speed of the Earth's rotation at the equator is 1,666 km/h. The rotation speed at the poles is 0 km/h.
The speed at the Equator is easy to calculate by the formula: the length of the Equator / the time of a complete revolution - 40,000 km / 24 hours. We know that Noon occurs 24 hours later, that is, the Sun is at its zenith 24 hours after the previous zenith, which is considered a complete circular rotation.
You: OK.
You : What about you, Professor Wonderful?
PZ : The earth does not spin and you know it very well. Look around you. Can you see the wind at 1,666 km/h? No, you don't.
Do you know why?
Because there is no rotation. Here is the still Lake Victoria at the Equator, between Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. It is so motionless that you can see the sky, mountains and yourself in its reflection.
Do you think that this is possible when there is supposedly wind 1 666 km / h? Do you know what speed is? 1 666 km / h? How awesome is this power?
The most powerful level 5 hurricane has an air speed of only 250 km/h.
Do you know what a human face looks like at a speed of 250 km/h? Show?
Hurricane at 250 km/h in face.
With lips really can BLOW OFF lipstick!
However, on Earth we see the following patterns, where the rotation speed NAMNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO exceeds 250 km/h, almost 7 times! Will there be a similar landscape with such a wind? Risk money, what is it possible?
So it seems to me a little lie Let's put it mildly when scientists say that the Earth rotates at a speed 1,666 km / h at the Equator, and at a speed of about 950 km/h at latitude Moscow. Moscow is located at a latitude of 55 degrees, between Oslo and Kiev. IN Moscow the rotation speed is 4 times the effect that you saw with the faces of the people above.
PS : I'm surprised to hear this from you. Professor Wonderful that you don't believe the official science.
PZ : Science does not need FAITH, Professor Sharov. Science needs evidence and facts. If there is no evidence and facts, then such information is called RELIGION. And you know it very well. Nevertheless, you claim that there is a speed of 1,666 km/h?
PS : Of course have. You don't feel it because the atmosphere spins along with the Earth's surface. That is, explaining plain language, the atmosphere of the Earth is glued tightly to the surface, ABOVE which it spins and behaves like the same stone lying ON the Earth.
Stone ON earth = air ABOVE Earth.
You: Seriously?
In other words, official science chooses the option where The earth spins with the atmosphere, which is also tightly glued to it?
PS: Yes.
You : I'll know. So my first question is:
Question 1. How does water stay on the spinning Earth?
I am surprised by the fact that PS states: Earth = Spinning and 70% of the Earth's surface is water. There is a direct contradiction between these two statements.
What is the contradiction?
Look, here is a washing machine.
She has a function water extraction. When the drum begins to rotate very quickly, and the water flies to the sides, passing through the slots in the drum. Depending on the speed, a different amount of water is squeezed out. At 1000 rpm - the maximum effect.
What you see is called centrifugal force. When an object moving along an arc is subjected to a buoyant force, pushing it away from the center.
This is how the car behaves on the road when it sharply goes into a turn.
This is what the carousel looks like at low speed. Armchairs are hanging. When the speed increases, the chair raises above the rest point, in the maximum position it goes up to 90 degrees.
Here are the athletes who disperse " hammer» before the throw. Athletes spin around its axis"and the ball on the wire flies away at 85 meters!
FLIES AWAY.
Then tell me, Professor Sharov, how does water stay on the rotating Sphere-Earth?
For those who did not understand what this example was about, here are thousands experiments how water would behave at the Equator of the Spinning Ball if it were true. Water doesn't stick to the spinning ball!
PS : The earth is spinning too slowly! Water doesn't feel it. And I don't feel it either.
You :What do you think Professor Wonderful?
PZ : There is no rotation, just as there is no ball. It is obvious. Water is at rest. I trust the facts and what I see in thousands of Experiments around.
Example 1. Water and washers.
Water and washing machines? Yes, okay... Then question 2 will not leave you indifferent.
Question 2. like ashes moving volcanoes and explosions rises vertically UP. And the smoke from moving trains always leave BACK? LOTS OF PHOTOS.
I think you are familiar with such pictures? When steam trains were running on rails, the smoke from them always went BACK. The train is moving, but the smoke is not.
But the same train is at the station. STANDS motionless. The smoke rises UP.
STILL<===========>UP.
And now it starts MAGIC !
What do they look like ash emissions from volcanoes and ash emissions from bomb explosions on
« rotating at 1,666 km/h Earth «?
Sinaburg volcano, Malaysia. Right on the Equator.
1 666 km/h wind speed around.
The height of the ash is 3 km! Vertical pole! On the Equator!
Another ejection of a 6 km ash column. Volcano Klyuchevskiy in Kamchatka. Higher than clouds! Vertically up!
Volcano Sakurajima. Japan. The height of the pillar is 5 kilometers! How does a big steam locomotive smoke outside the city, right?
Little height?
Here is the explosion of the nuclear bomb "Unicorn" (Licorne) in French Polynesia, Muroroa Atoll. 20 degrees south latitude. Under the Equator. Speed 1500 km/h in this place.
The height of the mushroom is 24 kilometers!
Feel the wind at the Equator?
Mushroom from the explosion of a hydrogen bomb on Eniwetok Atoll, in the Pacific Ocean.
Mushroom height 24 km.
See the clouds below?
The upper part of the fungus has reached the Stratosphere.
But, all this is nonsense, compared to what kind of bomb was detonated on Novaya Zemlya. Meet. Photo of the fungus Tsar Bomba from a distance of 160 km!
The height of the mushroom is 64 km!
And this is for comparison. Near the airplane below is the height of the first bomb "Unicorn = Licorne".
Now a question?
Where did the speed of the earth's rotation go??
Each of these mushrooms, from volcanoes, from explosions, rises vertically upwards. It does not blow away, does not inflate, nothing at all happens to thousands of tons of dust.
What do you say Professor Sharov?
PS : This is how it should be on a rotating Earth. I told you that the atmosphere spins with the surface.
You : Yes? The only problem is that with height the wind speed must rise! And the higher, the stronger. The mushroom should be smeared in the direction of rotation, that is, from East to West. It's just basic mechanics.
Here is a disk with 3 areas, red, green, blue.
You understand that the closer to the center of the disk, the lower the speed. IN black dot in the center - speed 0, the farther from the center, the higher the speed. After all, the disk makes a full circle with any of its parts. The edge of the blue disk rotates simultaneously with the edge of the green and red disks.
Here are 2 guys on the carousel. One sits pressed to the center, and he is fine, and the legs of the second describe huge circles around.
Why am I saying this?
To the fact that if the Earth is Spinning, then your air speed should rise with Height if it is firmly stuck to the surface of the Earth, as stated Professor Sharov.
With height= rising SPEED air.
If so,
then we have huge cumulus the clouds should be stretching in an easterly direction, because the Earth is spinning in the East direction, and the speed of the Atmosphere increases with height! This is according to you, Professor Sharov.
What do we have? We have mushrooms 24 and 64 km, which
NOT STRETCHED ANYWHERE
I keep trying to see the wind in the East direction.
PS: This is impossible.
You : Impossible in your theory. What about you, Professor Wonderful?
PZ: The earth doesn't spin, And the atmosphere is not spinning. Air masses are carried by wind and temperature differences over specific areas of the Earth. Everything as you see with your own eyes. As altitude increases, air speed does not increase. She has nowhere to go. Therefore, mushrooms from nuclear explosions will simply rise up and disperse into upper layers atmosphere. Matches the photo.
Asking readers for help
Example 2. Volcanoes, explosions, clouds.
The earth is motionless. The atmosphere is still. 78%, 1445 votes
I see a speed of 1,666 km / h! 14%, 252 votes
I see clouds that break strictly in height! 9%, 158 votes
Poll Options are limited because JavaScript is disabled in your browser.
Let's move on to the bombing and the war.
Question 3. How bombs from an airplane hit the target, + East-West flight time. Flights and SCREENSHOTS.
You know what's in the world bombers= planes that drop bombs from a height?
What interests me?
How do they hit the target when:
Earth RUN DURING THE FLIGHT OF THE BOMB?
The bomb falls from a height at 7000 m in 37.7 sec.
Math minute :)
Bomb drop time = square root (2*height / 9.81).
37.7 seconds flies "parcel" from 7 km!
The aircraft is moving and the bomb travels an additional distance from the location " Reset» to the place « bang". Right right?
Schematically.
The only problem is that what they saw on the SCHEME is possible only on STANDING EARTH.
As soon as you talk about the rotating Earth, then you have
BOMB +
EARTH UNDER THE BOMB
D-V-I-F-E-T-S-Z.
If we take this moment into account, then it is possible to bomb targets only by entering from the EASTERN direction, compensating for the rotation of the Earth.
FACTS say otherwise. You can bomb targets from any direction. Here is an excerpt from pilot's manual .
Page 136. You can reach the target with ANYONE directions. No amendment to the East direction (such as the official Rotation of the Earth). Aim edits are calculated immediately FOR ALL directions.
Page 137-138. The crew must be able to drop bombs from any previously unknown direction, excluding North South. Because the main direction can be protected by anti-aircraft guns, poor visibility, etc.
Dropping bombs does not depend on the rotation of the Earth. And why? But because she is motionless.
Another interesting fact in a piggy bank.
Airplane from London to New York flies LONGER than a plane from New York to London. Longer exactly for an hour.
And the whole jump was needed, to show you more pictures of the ROTATING Round Earth.
Victory!
If a person does not see the difference between the first and second photo below, then in such a head you can pour ANYTHING.
See how the line bends to the left, on the word " ZENITH» at the bottom of the photo.
You : Professor Sharov Did the earth forget to turn that day? Instead of a turn of 1000 km, at least, we saw only 68 kilometers?
PS : Felix did not leave the Earth's atmosphere, so in this case he did not feel the rotation. He would have to climb to a height of 150 km and above.
You : That is, we will not be able to see any wind up to a height of 150 km?
PS : Yes. Up to 150 km altitude, everything will look exactly the same as on non-rotating earth.
You : Who can fly to an altitude above 150 km?
PS : Exactly not you. Military, and only verified personnel.
PZ : I'll put in my reply. Here Richard Branson(billionaire from England).
He promised back in 2004 that there would soon be space flights for everyone. Collected money from gullible citizens, showed a couple of prototypes. Moreover, he called the Cosmos a height of 16 km, with the necessary 100-150 km (Professor Sharov). Outside 2017, his Virgin Galactic ships still don't fly. One crashed under suspicious circumstances, after that everything went quiet.
Now a new billionaire, Elon Musk, claims space flights for tourists in the near future ... Moon, Mars, applicants are being selected. See, nothing will come of it again. Just like last time. And all because:
Space = CLOSED.
If you can be sure from Space that the Earth is Round or the Earth is Flat, will everyone be allowed to fly into Space in the near future?
Example 4. Will space be opened to ordinary people?
Poll Options are limited because JavaScript is disabled in your browser.
And now the cash prize, those who were with us until the very end
Question 5.Shooting Artillery and opportunity to earn 1 500 c.u.
Artillery is a large caliber firearm. In order for her projectile to hit the target, the gunner must take into account many amendments. The main ones are:
- wind,
- time of the year,
- condensate in the barrel,
- air temperature.
Knowing these things, you can shoot quite well. Do you know what amendment they never take into account:
DO NOT take into account the MOVEMENT ( ROTATION) of the EARTH.
They don't pay attention to her at all. At the same time they hit!
Let's move on to the deal 1 500 USD.
For those who still believe that The earth is spinning I propose the following experiment.
1. We take a cannon, we tie our "believer" to it. Expect calm weather.
2. We understand the gun at an angle of 90 degrees (vertically up).
3. We shoot!
We wait…
The projectile, according to the official theory, must deflect to the side, for every second that it is not tied to the surface of the Earth, and is not tied to the gun. Next to the blue little man he fall
CAN NOT
SHOULD NOT.
But, if it so happens that a shell falls on his head, then he will be given + he will go down in the history of science forever! Ready to earn the easiest money of your life without risking anything?
I bet a thousand bucks that the Earth doesn't spin!
PS: Yes it is, I ... pass.
PZ : I will add more 500 bucks on top, if there is a daredevil)))
Tell your friends that they offer an experiment on the Internet.
The theory of the world as a geocentric system was repeatedly criticized and questioned in the old days. It is known that Galileo Galilei worked on the proof of this theory. It is to him that the phrase that went down in history belongs: “And yet it spins!”. But still, it was not he who managed to prove this, as many people think, but Nicolaus Copernicus, who in 1543 wrote a treatise on movement celestial bodies around the sun. Surprisingly, despite all this evidence, about the circular motion of the Earth around a huge star, there are still open questions in theory about the reasons that prompt it to this movement.
Reasons for the move
The Middle Ages are over, when people considered our planet to be motionless, and no one disputes its movements. But the reasons why the Earth is heading on a path around the Sun are not known for certain. Three theories have been put forward:
- inert rotation;
- magnetic fields;
- exposure to solar radiation.
There are others, but they do not stand up to scrutiny. It is also interesting that the question: “In which direction does the Earth rotate around a huge celestial body?” Is also not correct enough. The answer to it has been received, but it is accurate only with respect to the generally accepted guideline.
The sun is a huge star around which life is concentrated in our planetary system. All these planets move around the Sun in their orbits. The earth moves in the third orbit. Studying the question: “In which direction does the Earth rotate in its orbit?”, Scientists have made many discoveries. They realized that the orbit itself is not perfect, so our green Planet located at different points from the Sun at different distances from each other. Therefore, an average value was calculated: 149,600,000 km.
The Earth is closest to the Sun on January 3rd and farther away on July 4th. The following concepts are associated with these phenomena: the smallest and largest temporary day in the year, in relation to the night. Studying the same question: “In which direction does the Earth rotate in its solar orbit?”, scientists made one more conclusion: the process of circular motion occurs both in orbit and around its own invisible rod (axis). Having made the discoveries of these two rotations, scientists asked questions not only about the causes of such phenomena, but also about the shape of the orbit, as well as the speed of rotation.
How did scientists determine in which direction the Earth rotates around the Sun in the planetary system?
The orbital picture of the planet Earth was described by a German astronomer and mathematician In his fundamental work New Astronomy, he calls the orbit elliptical.
All objects on the Earth's surface rotate with it, using generally accepted descriptions of the planetary pattern. solar system. It can be said that, observing from the north from space, to the question: “In which direction does the Earth rotate around the central luminary?”, The answer will be: “From west to east.”
Comparing with the movements of the hands in the clock - this is against its course. This point of view was accepted with regard to the North Star. The same will be seen by a person who is on the surface of the Earth from the side of the Northern Hemisphere. Having imagined himself on a ball moving around a fixed star, he will see his rotation from right to left. This is equivalent to going against the clock or from west to east.
Earth's axis
All this also applies to the answer to the question: “In which direction does the Earth rotate around its axis?” - in the opposite direction of the clock. But if you imagine yourself as an observer in the Southern Hemisphere, the picture will look different - on the contrary. But, realizing that in space there are no concepts of west and east, scientists pushed off from the earth's axis and the North Star, to which the axis is directed. This determined the generally accepted answer to the question: "In which direction does the Earth rotate around its axis and around the center of the solar system?". Accordingly, the Sun is shown in the morning from the horizon from the east, and is hidden from our eyes in the west. It is interesting that many people compare the earth's revolutions around its own invisible axial rod with the rotation of a top. But at the same time, the earth's axis is not visible and is somewhat tilted, and not vertical. All this is reflected in the shape of the globe and the elliptical orbit.
Sidereal and solar days
In addition to answering the question: “In which direction does the Earth rotate clockwise or counterclockwise?” Scientists calculated the time of revolution around its invisible axis. It is 24 hours. Interestingly, this is only an approximate number. In fact, a complete revolution is 4 minutes less (23 hours 56 minutes 4.1 seconds). This is the so-called star day. We consider a day on a solar day: 24 hours, since the Earth needs an additional 4 minutes every day in its planetary orbit to return to its place.
Our planet is constantly in motion:
- rotation around its own axis, movement around the Sun;
- rotation together with the Sun around the center of our galaxy;
- motion relative to the center of the Local Group of galaxies and others.
Earth's motion around its own axis
Rotation of the Earth around its axis(Fig. 1). An imaginary line is taken for the earth's axis, around which it rotates. This axis is deviated by 23 ° 27 "from the perpendicular to the plane of the ecliptic. The earth's axis intersects with the earth's surface at two points - the poles - North and South. When viewed from the North Pole, the Earth's rotation occurs counterclockwise or, as is commonly believed, with west to east.The planet makes a complete rotation around its axis in one day.
Rice. 1. Rotation of the Earth around its axis
A day is a unit of time. Separate sidereal and solar days.
sidereal day is the amount of time it takes the earth to rotate on its axis with respect to the stars. They are equal to 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds.
solar day is the amount of time it takes for the earth to rotate on its axis with respect to the sun.
The angle of rotation of our planet around its axis is the same at all latitudes. In one hour, each point on the surface of the Earth moves 15° from its original position. But at the same time, the speed of movement is inversely proportional to the geographical latitude: at the equator it is 464 m / s, and at a latitude of 65 ° - only 195 m / s.
The rotation of the Earth around its axis in 1851 was proved by J. Foucault in his experiment. In Paris, in the Pantheon, a pendulum was hung under the dome, and under it a circle with divisions. With each subsequent movement, the pendulum turned out to be on new divisions. This can only happen if the surface of the Earth under the pendulum rotates. The position of the swing plane of the pendulum at the equator does not change, because the plane coincides with the meridian. The axial rotation of the Earth has important geographic consequences.
When the Earth rotates, a centrifugal force arises, which plays an important role in shaping the shape of the planet and reduces the force of gravity.
Another of the most important consequences of axial rotation is the formation of a turning force - Coriolis forces. In the 19th century it was first calculated by a French scientist in the field of mechanics G. Coriolis (1792-1843). This is one of the inertial forces introduced to take into account the influence of the rotation of a moving frame of reference on the relative motion of a material point. Its effect can be briefly expressed as follows: every moving body in the Northern Hemisphere deviates to the right, and in the Southern - to the left. At the equator, the Coriolis force is zero (Fig. 3).
Rice. 3. Action of the Coriolis force
The action of the Coriolis force extends to many phenomena of the geographic envelope. Its deflecting effect is especially noticeable in the direction of travel. air masses. Under the influence of the deflecting force of the Earth's rotation, the winds of the temperate latitudes of both hemispheres take predominantly western direction, and in tropical latitudes - east. A similar manifestation of the Coriolis force is found in the direction of movement of ocean waters. The asymmetry of river valleys is also associated with this force (the right bank is usually high in the Northern Hemisphere, in the Southern - the left).
The rotation of the earth on its axis also causes movement solar lighting on the earth's surface from east to west, i.e. to the change of day and night.
The change of day and night creates a daily rhythm in animate and inanimate nature. The circadian rhythm is closely related to light and temperature conditions. The daily course of temperature, day and night breezes, etc. are well known. Daily rhythms also occur in wildlife - photosynthesis is possible only during the day, most plants open their flowers at different hours; Some animals are active during the day, others at night. Human life also proceeds in a daily rhythm.
Another consequence of the rotation of the Earth around its axis is the difference in time at different points on our planet.
Since 1884, a zone time account was adopted, that is, the entire surface of the Earth was divided into 24 time zones of 15 ° each. Behind standard time take the local time of the middle meridian of each zone. Neighboring time zones differ by one hour. The boundaries of the belts are drawn taking into account political, administrative and economic boundaries.
The zero belt is Greenwich (by the name of the Greenwich Observatory near London), which runs on both sides of the prime meridian. The time of the zero, or initial, meridian is considered World time.
Meridian 180° accepted as international date measurement line- a conditional line on the surface of the globe, on both sides of which hours and minutes coincide, and calendar dates differ by one day.
For more rational use summer daylight in 1930 in our country was introduced maternity time, ahead of the zone by one hour. To do this, the hands of the clock were moved forward one hour. In this regard, Moscow, being in the second time zone, lives according to the time of the third time zone.
Since 1981, between April and October, the time has been moved forward one hour. This so-called summer time. It is introduced to save energy. In summer, Moscow is two hours ahead of standard time.
The time zone in which Moscow is located is Moscow.
Movement of the Earth around the Sun
Rotating around its axis, the Earth simultaneously moves around the Sun, going around the circle in 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 46 seconds. This period is called astronomical year. For convenience, it is considered that there are 365 days in a year, and every four years, when 24 hours out of six hours “accumulate”, there are not 365, but 366 days in a year. This year is called leap year, and one day is added to February.
The path in space along which the Earth moves around the Sun is called orbit(Fig. 4). The Earth's orbit is elliptical, so the distance from the Earth to the Sun is not constant. When the earth is in perihelion(from Greek. peri- near, around and helios- Sun) - the closest point of the orbit to the Sun - on January 3, the distance is 147 million km. It is winter in the Northern Hemisphere at this time. The farthest distance from the Sun in aphelion(from Greek. aro- away from and helios- Sun) - the greatest distance from the Sun - July 5. It is equal to 152 million km. At this time, it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
Rice. 4. Movement of the Earth around the Sun
The annual movement of the Earth around the Sun is observed by the continuous change in the position of the Sun in the sky - the midday height of the Sun and the position of its sunrise and sunset change, the duration of the bright and dark parts of the day changes.
When moving in orbit, the direction of the earth's axis does not change, it is always directed towards the North Star.
As a result of a change in the distance from the Earth to the Sun, as well as due to the inclination of the Earth's axis to the plane of its movement around the Sun, an uneven distribution of solar radiation is observed on Earth during the year. This is how the seasons change, which is typical for all planets that have an inclination of the axis of rotation to the plane of its orbit. (ecliptic) different from 90°. The orbital speed of a planet in the Northern Hemisphere is higher in winter time and less in summer. Therefore, the winter half-year lasts 179, and the summer half-year - 186 days.
As a result of the movement of the Earth around the Sun and the inclination of the earth's axis to the plane of its orbit by 66.5 °, not only the change of seasons is observed on our planet, but also a change in the length of day and night.
The rotation of the Earth around the Sun and the change of seasons on Earth are shown in Fig. 81 (equinoxes and solstices according to the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere).
Only twice a year - on the days of the equinox, the length of day and night on the whole Earth is almost the same.
Equinox- the moment at which the center of the Sun, during its apparent annual movement along the ecliptic, crosses the celestial equator. There are spring and autumn equinoxes.
The inclination of the Earth's axis of rotation around the Sun on the equinoxes of March 20-21 and September 22-23 is neutral with respect to the Sun, and the parts of the planet facing it are uniformly illuminated from pole to pole (Fig. 5). The sun's rays fall vertically at the equator.
The longest day and shortest night occur on the summer solstice.
Rice. 5. Illumination of the Earth by the Sun on the days of the equinox
Solstice- the moment of passage by the center of the Sun of the points of the ecliptic, the most distant from the equator (solstice points). There are summer and winter solstices.
On the day of the summer solstice on June 21-22, the Earth takes a position in which the northern end of its axis is tilted towards the Sun. And the rays fall vertically not on the equator, but on the northern tropic, whose latitude is 23 ° 27 "All day and night, not only the polar regions are illuminated, but also the space beyond them up to latitude 66 ° 33" (Arctic Circle). In the Southern Hemisphere at this time, only that part of it that lies between the equator and the southern Arctic Circle (66 ° 33 ") turns out to be illuminated. Beyond it, on this day, the earth's surface is not illuminated.
On the day of the winter solstice on December 21-22, everything happens the other way around (Fig. 6). The sun's rays are already falling sheer on the southern tropic. Lighted in the Southern Hemisphere are areas that lie not only between the equator and the tropic, but also around the South Pole. This situation continues until the spring equinox.
Rice. 6. Illumination of the Earth on the day of the winter solstice
At two parallels of the Earth on the days of the solstice, the Sun at noon is directly above the head of the observer, that is, at the zenith. Such parallels are called tropics. On the Tropic of the North (23° N), the Sun is at its zenith on June 22, on the Tropic of the South (23° S) on December 22.
At the equator, day is always equal to night. Angle of incidence sun rays on the earth's surface and the length of the day there change little, so the change of seasons is not expressed.
arctic circles remarkable in that they are the boundaries of areas where there are polar days and nights.
polar day- the period when the sun does not fall below the horizon. The farther from the Arctic Circle near the pole, the longer the polar day. At the latitude of the Arctic Circle (66.5°) it lasts only one day, and at the Pole it lasts 189 days. In the Northern Hemisphere at the latitude of the Arctic Circle, the polar day is observed on June 22 - the day of the summer solstice, and in the Southern Hemisphere at the latitude of the Southern Arctic Circle - on December 22.
polar night lasts from one day at the latitude of the Arctic Circle to 176 days at the poles. During the polar night, the Sun does not appear above the horizon. In the Northern Hemisphere, at the latitude of the Arctic Circle, this phenomenon is observed on December 22.
It is impossible not to note such a wonderful natural phenomenon as white nights. White Nights- these are bright nights at the beginning of summer, when the evening dawn converges with the morning dawn and twilight lasts all night. They are observed in both hemispheres at latitudes exceeding 60°, when the center of the Sun at midnight falls below the horizon by no more than 7°. In St. Petersburg (about 60°N) white nights last from June 11 to July 2, in Arkhangelsk (64°N) from May 13 to July 30.
The seasonal rhythm in connection with the annual movement primarily affects the illumination of the earth's surface. Depending on the change in the height of the Sun above the horizon on Earth, there are five lighting belts. The hot belt lies between the Northern and Southern tropics (the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn), occupies 40% of the earth's surface and is distinguished by the largest amount of heat coming from the Sun. Between the tropics and the Arctic Circles in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres there are moderate zones of illumination. The seasons of the year are already expressed here: the farther from the tropics, the shorter and cooler the summer, the longer and colder the winter. The polar belts in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are limited by the Arctic Circles. Here, the height of the Sun above the horizon during the year is low, so the amount of solar heat is minimal. The polar zones are characterized by polar days and nights.
Depending on the annual movement of the Earth around the Sun, there are not only the change of seasons and the associated uneven illumination of the earth's surface across latitudes, but also a significant part of the processes in the geographical envelope: seasonal weather changes, the regime of rivers and lakes, the rhythm in the life of plants and animals, types and terms of agricultural work.
Calendar.Calendar- a system for calculating long periods of time. This system is based on periodic natural phenomena associated with the movement of celestial bodies. The calendar uses astronomical phenomena - the change of seasons, day and night, change lunar phases. The first calendar was Egyptian, created in the 4th century. BC e. On January 1, 45, Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar, which is still used by Russian Orthodox Church. Due to the fact that the duration of the Julian year is longer than the astronomical one by 11 minutes 14 seconds, by the 16th century. an “error” of 10 days accumulated - the day of the vernal equinox did not come on March 21, but on March 11. This mistake was corrected in 1582 by a decree of Pope Gregory XIII. The count of days was moved forward by 10 days, and the day after October 4 was prescribed to be considered Friday, but not October 5, but October 15. The spring equinox was again returned to March 21, and the calendar became known as the Gregorian. It was introduced in Russia in 1918. However, it also has a number of drawbacks: unequal duration of months (28, 29, 30, 31 days), inequality of quarters (90, 91, 92 days), inconsistency of numbers of months by days of the week.
