The slope of the earth. Displacement of the earth's axis. Truth or fiction? The angle of inclination of the earth's axis to the sun
If you could look at the Earth from the side, you would think that the Earth has very bad posture. The Earth flies around the Sun, leaning somewhat to the side (like a sailboat in a strong wind).
The angle of the earth's axis is 23.5 degrees from the vertical line. It happened during the deadly races that formed our solar system 4.6 billion years ago.
The Sun, Earth and the other eight planets in our planetary system formed from a rotating cloud of interstellar gas and dust. Scientists believe that the Earth grew to the size of a planet, absorbing particles that collided with it. Millions of years passed, worlds were formed and destroyed, planets in their modern form were formed from their parts. The natural satellite of the Earth may have been formed when the red-hot Earth collided with a large cosmic body.
Why is the earth's axis tilted?
According to Clark Chapman, an astronomer at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, it took a gigantic explosion to give the Earth its current orbit. Thanks to the explosion, life on our home planet has become very interesting. The results of this blow still turn the leaves yellow in autumn, roast the Mediterranean coast in summer, allow children to frolic in rivers, and in winter cause heavy snowfalls to the delight of children and to the grief of city authorities. This last decisive explosion created the seasons on Earth - the four seasons.
Interesting:
Why do the orbits of the planets lie in the same plane?
But how magically did it happen? As a result of the Big Bang, the N Pole is tilted towards the Sun for half a year, and during the next half year it is tilted in the opposite direction. When the North Pole is tilted towards the Sun, the Sun is warm and bright in the Northern Hemisphere, and the days are long. If the nights begin to lengthen and become colder, then the North Pole has begun to tilt in the opposite direction from the Sun. In the Southern Hemisphere, the picture is opposite, that is, when it is warm in the Northern Hemisphere, it is cold in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.
Chapman emphasizes that if the Earth's axis were strictly perpendicular to its orbit, there would be practically no seasons. The Earth's orbit is not a perfect circle, so the Earth's temperature would drop somewhat as the Earth moves away from the Sun. As the Earth gets closer to the Sun, it would get a little warmer. But these weather changes would be like the changing of the seasons, just as a whisper is like a scream. We would have no winter, no autumn, no spring, no summer. Such words would not even exist in our language.
Schematic representation of the tilt of the earth's axis of rotation. Credit & Copyright: UniverseTodayRu
In ancient times, in various cultures, our planet took a variety of forms - from a cube to the more popular flat disk surrounded by the sea. But thanks to the development of astronomy, we have come to understand that in fact the Earth has a spherical shape (geoid), moreover, it is one of the many planets in our star system that revolves around the Sun.
Over the past few centuries, as a result of advances in science, the evolution of scientific instruments, and more complex observations, astronomers have been able to determine the true shape of the Earth's orbit with great precision. In addition to knowing the exact distance to the Sun, we also found out that our planet revolves around it with a certain tilt.
The inclination of the axis of rotation is the angle by which the axis of rotation of the planet is deviated from the perpendicular drawn to the plane of its orbit. This kind of tilt of a celestial body affects how much sunlight a certain point on its surface receives during the year. The tilt of the earth's axis of rotation is approximately 23.44° (or 23.439281° to be exact).
The tilt of the earth's axis is the main factor responsible for the seasonal changes that occur on the earth during the year. When the north pole is pointing towards the sun, it is summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere. When, after six months, the south pole turns towards the Sun, the opposite situation is observed.
In addition to temperature changes, the changing seasons also lead to changes in the daily cycle. So in summer, the length of the day is longer than the night, and the Sun rises higher in the sky. In winter, the days become shorter and the Sun is lower.
A more interesting situation is observed beyond the Arctic Circle: there, at first, for almost six months, the Sun does not rise above the horizon (a phenomenon known as “polar night”), and then also does not set below the horizon for almost six months (“polar day”).
This illustration shows a view of the Earth from space. Credit & Copyright: NASA. Four seasons can be tied to four dates: solstices and equinoxes. In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs on December 21 or 22, the summer solstice on June 20 or 21, the spring equinox on March 20, and the autumn equinox on September 22 or 23. In the southern hemisphere, the situation is reversed: the date of the summer solstice changes with the date of the winter, and the date of the vernal equinox with the date of the autumn.
The tilt angle of the Earth is relatively stable over a long period of time. However, the earth's axis is constantly swinging. This phenomenon, known as precession, causes the seasons to “reverse” periodically (approximately every 25,800 years). When this happens, summer in the northern hemisphere will begin in December and winter in June.
Thus, the rotation of the Earth around its axis is not as easy as you might think. During the scientific revolution, it was a real revelation for many to learn that the Earth is not a fixed point in the universe. But even then, astronomers like Copernicus and Galileo thought the Earth's orbit was a perfect circle, and they couldn't even imagine what it really looked like. And only after a long time did we realize that the tilt of the axis of our planet leads to serious changes over time - both in the short and long term.
> > > Tilt of the Earth
Tilt of the Earth's axis: description of the earth's axis in relation to the ecliptic of the solar system with a photo, change of seasons, north and south poles, characteristic of precession.
It was previously believed that our planet could be flat, zigzag or cubic in shape. But long-term studies show that we are one of the spheroids that orbit our star.
We know a lot about the orbital path, the distance from the Sun, and also about the axial tilt. Let's take a look at what the tilt of the Earth looks like.
Tilt of the Earth and Earth's Axis
The vertical planetary axis of rotation is located at a certain angle. This leads to the fact that the sun's rays are distributed unevenly throughout the year. The angle reaches 23.44°.
Influence of the tilt of the Earth
Seasonal differences
It is this tilt of the Earth's axis that we should be grateful for the changing seasons. When the north pole is turned towards the star, summer begins on it, and winter begins on the south. After 6 months, they change places.
In addition, the angle of the Earth's tilt affects the daily cycle. In summer, the sun rises higher and the day lasts longer. The most extreme situation is observed above the Arctic Circle, where there is no daylight for part of the year, as well as 6 months of darkness at the North Pole (polar night). At the South Pole, the situation is reversed, where a day can span 24 hours!
The seasons are determined by the moments of the solstices (December 21 and June 21) and equinoxes (March 20 and September 22).
Changes in time
For a long time, the axial tilt remains stable. But there is such a moment as nutation - rocking with a frequency of 18.6 years. The axle goes through this process, causing it to lean slightly.
The precession causes the date of the seasons to change in cycles of 25,800 years. This not only causes a difference between sidereal and tropical years, but also reverses the seasons. That is, in the northern hemisphere, summer will come in December, and winter in June.
Also, the change in the length of the day depends on the precession. This is the moment when the dates of perihelion and aphelion change. In general, you see that axial rotation and orbital path are related to many factors. Believe that people were once shocked to learn that the Earth is able to move. Even Copernicus and Galileo believed that we live on an ideal ball.
The topic of shifting the axis of rotation of the Earth has been discussed on the Internet for several years - since the time when some people who have long lived in the same place began to note that the Sun rises and sets not where it has always been in the corresponding period.
When people try to discuss this phenomenon, there are always crowds of trolls and ordinary brainless people howling at them, starting to bend about refraction-diffraction and so on. However, let's get down to the facts. Alaska is home to a tribe of local Aborigines who call themselves the Inuk or Inuit.
The words "eater of raw meat" sound like "Eskimo" in their language, which gave another name to the tribe. Living in the extreme north and not having newfangled satellite devices, the Inuit have been carefully observing the Sun and stars for centuries, have their own unshakable calendars of all all seasonal phenomena. But since the early 2000s, these calendars have been greatly shaken, which the elders even tried to inform NASA.
According to their observations, the Sun rises and sets NOT THERE and NOT THEN. The Inuit, who had some knowledge of conventional astronomy, suggested that since the Earth is round and rotates, then the axis of rotation must have changed if the Sun does not rise over the hill over which it has risen for centuries on this day. Enlightened adepts from NASA made the ignorant Indian guys laugh and the topic was hushed up. However.
Hal Turner, founder of US government shut down opposition superstation95 with 2,000,000 listeners and readers a day:
Most likely I will be told again today that I need to wear a tinfoil hat, however, I can not help but note: the Sun still sets far north than before. I live at North Bergen, NJ 07047. My home is on the western slope of the Palisades, 212 feet above sea level. When I first moved here in 1991, I lived on the top (third) floor, with a terrace facing west.
On this terrace I enjoyed a beautiful sunset. Early in the summer, I noticed that the sun was right in the middle of its natural fall on a crest, perhaps 7 miles west of me, near Clifton, New Jersey. Tonight I watered the flowers on the terrace. I turned to look to the west, expecting to see the sunset, the sun over the ridge and all.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered a natural dip in the ridge line about 7 miles to the west. There was no sun! It didn't set there! I even had to turn my head a little more to the right to make sure that the Sun was there. It really was in the sky, but not in the West, but in the Northwest. I was so blown away by this change that I immediately ran to get my Apple iPhone and clicked on a lot of photos:
I am not an enlightened academic adept or some other famous space diver. I am an ordinary American guy who has lived at the same address for the past twenty-six years. The sun sets below the horizon definitely not where it should. It is located much further to the right (to the north) than before. Maybe,
The earth has changed its tilt on its axis. Perhaps the continent moves and rotates. I dont know. However, the guys from NASA are definitely in the know. Why don't they tell people about all this?!
Now the Skeptic will rush in and begin to teach us science) I have never lived in one place for a long time, and it is difficult to judge this. But here are some comments from the net:
"It's like someone moved our office. About 8 years ago, on the balcony of the office (11th floor), I scratched a scratch with a nail corresponding to the edge of the shadow from the wall at 15 o'clock (tea time). Now this chira corresponds to 14-45. Paradox!"
“He didn’t lie. Recently, my wife called me to watch the sunset. I told her that this is not a sunset, the sunset happens in the west, and this is not the west. She even took a picture of this sunset on her smartphone. But he definitely was not in the west.”
“You can laugh, but this morning, I went for a walk with the dog at 4 in the morning and the shop where I have been sitting in the shade for many years in the summer turned out to be on the sunny side. I do not state anything, but the article confirmed my suspicions that this was not the delirium of a sleepy person. "
“I don’t know if the sun or the earth moved, but I actually transferred the seedlings from one loggia to another, because in the afternoon the sun began to illuminate the other side of the house ... In short, it shifted by thirty degrees .. And in the evening it shines through the north window. But no one says anything about this, so I decided that it seemed.
“I usually sit on the Internet at night, in the summer in the spring I catch the dawn. I used to correct the curtain so that the sun would not hit the screen. Now it’s been two years now, it’s shining on a different line. Before the sun set behind the neighboring house in winter, now it jumps over it and hides behind other buildings. so the dude writes everything correctly and you don’t have delusions or false memories at all. a lot of people note about the Sun. it also changed its color. before it was orange, now it’s some kind of blue"
What causes Earth's climate change?
Astronomer Milyutin Milankovich (1879-1958) studied the change in the Earth's orbit around the Sun and the tilt of our planet's axis. He suggested that cyclical changes between them are the cause of long-term climate change.
Climate change is a complex process, influenced by many factors. The main one is the relationship between the Earth and the Sun.
Milanković studied three factors:
Change in the tilt of the earth's axis;
Deviations in the shape of the Earth's orbit around the Sun;
The precession of the change in the position of the inclination of the axis with respect to the orbit..
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Deviation of the earth's axis. |
Change in the Earth's orbit. |
 Earth Earth without seasons, 0° axis tilt. |
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 End of June: summer in the Northern Hemisphere, winter in the Southern. |
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 Late December: summer in the Northern Hemisphere, winter in the Southern. |
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Tilt of the earth's axis
If there were no axial tilt, then we would have no seasons, and day and night would be the same throughout the year. The amount of solar energy reaching a certain point on Earth would be constant. Now the axis of the planet is at an angle of 23.5 °. In the summer (since June) in the Northern Hemisphere, it turns out that the northern latitudes receive more light than the southern ones. The days are getting longer and the position of the sun is higher. At the same time, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The days are shorter and the sun is lower.
FROM six months later, the Earth moves in its orbit to the opposite side of the Sun. The slope stays the same. Now it's summer in the Southern Hemisphere, the days are longer and there's more light. It's winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
Milankovitch suggested that the tilt of the earth's axis is not always 23.5°. There are fluctuations from time to time. He calculated that the changes lie in the range from 22.1° to 24.5°, repeating this with a period of 41,000 years. When the slope is smaller, the temperature is lower than usual in summer and higher in winter. As the slope increases, more extreme climatic conditions are observed.
How does all this affect the climate? Even with increasing temperatures in winter, it is still cold enough for snow in areas far from the equator. If summers are cold, then it is possible that snow in high latitudes will also melt more slowly in winter. Year after year it will stratify, forming a glacier.
Compared to water and land, snow reflects more solar energy into space, causing additional cooling. From this point of view, there is a positive feedback mechanism here. Due to the decrease in temperature, snow accumulates additionally and glaciers increase. The reflection increases over time, and the temperature decreases, and so on. Perhaps this is how the ice ages began.
The shape of the Earth's orbit around the Sun
The second factor studied by Milankovitch is the shape of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. The orbit is not perfectly round. At certain times of the year, the Earth is closer to the Sun than usual. The Earth receives much more energy from the Sun, being as close as possible to the star (at the perihelion point), in comparison with the maximum distance (the aphelion point).
The shape of the earth's orbit changes cyclically with a period of 90,000 and 100,000 years. Sometimes the shape becomes more elongated (elliptical) than it is now, so the difference in the amount of solar energy received at perihelion and aphelion will be large.
Perihelion is now observed in January, aphelion in July. This change makes the climate of the Northern Hemisphere milder, bringing additional warmth in winter. In the Southern Hemisphere, the climate is more severe than it would be if the Earth's orbit around the Sun were circular.
Precession
There is another difficulty. The orientation of the earth's axis changes over time. Like a top, the axis moves in a circle. Such a movement is called precessional. The cycle of such a movement is 22,000 years. This causes a gradual change of seasons. Eleven thousand years ago, the Northern Hemisphere was tilted closer to the sun in December than in June. Winter and summer changed places. After 11,000 years, everything has changed again.
All three factors: axial tilt, orbital shape, and precession change the planet's climate. Since this happens on different time scales, the interaction of these factors is complex. Sometimes they enhance the effect of each other, sometimes they weaken. For example, 11,000 years ago, the precession caused the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere in December, the effect of increasing solar radiation at perihelion in January and decreasing at aphelion in July will increase the interseasonal difference in the Northern Hemisphere, instead of softening as we are now familiar with. Not everything is as simple as it seems, since the dates of perihelion and aphelion also shift.
Other factors affecting climate
In addition to the shifting effect of the Earth's motion, are there other factors influencing climate?
