What Does Rotation of the Earth Mean
We explain what the rotation of the Earth is and what its consequences are. The speed it reaches and the translation of the Earth.
What is the rotation of the Earth?
The rotation of the Earth is the movement that the planet makes when it rotates on its own axis , that is, on itself. This axis consists of an imaginary line that crosses the geographic poles and that has an inclination of 24 ° with respect to the orbit of the Earth .
It takes 24 hours for the Earth's rotational movement to make the complete turn, at a speed of 1,700 kilometers per hour if measured at the equator. We do not feel the movement because it is carried out constantly and because we move at the same speed with the Earth, that is, we are part of the same earth movement system. If the speed of the movement were not constant, we would feel it due to inertia .
See also: Climate change
Consequences of the rotational movement
The rotation of the Earth generates consequences at a geographical, climatic, terrestrial and physical level. The main ones are:
- The succession of day and night. The Sun illuminates only one half of the planet, which determines that it is day, while the opposite side remains dark, generating night. As the planet rotates on its own axis, the face that was dark begins to receive light and the other half becomes dark.
- Time differences. The time zone system consists of a division of the day into hours for the entire planet, and its starting point or reference point is the zero meridian or Greenwich meridian . That is why sunrise and sunset in the eastern hemisphere earlier than in the western hemisphere.
- The variation of temperature. The succession of day and night means that, during the day, the illuminated face of the planet receives a greater amount of solar radiation. That energy accumulates and generates an increase in temperature . During the night, that face does not receive solar radiation and the temperature decreases.
- The shape of the Earth. If the Earth were still, you could see its sphere shape, that is, round. As the rotational movement is constant, a centrifugal force is generated responsible for flattening the area of the poles or the axis of the Earth and widening the area of the equator. Because of the rotational motion, the planet is shaped like an ellipse or geoid.
- The Cardinal points. As the planet rotates from west to east and the Sun is at a fixed point, it can be seen from the Earth to appear in the east at sunrise and set to the west at sunset. This information is useful to locate the cardinal points if you do not have a compass.
- The magnetic field of the Earth. The rotational movement generates a magnetic field or energy that protects the Earth from solar radiation through the atmosphere (layer composed of gases and that surrounds the Earth). Although the planet and living things need light and heat from the Sun, some of its rays are harmful. This magnetic field causes a stream of particles in the atmosphere that blocks them and prevents them from reaching the earth's surface.
Earth's rotation speed
The speed of the Earth's rotation varies depending on the area of the planet where it is calculated. From the equator, that is, the imaginary line that marks the maximum circumference of the Earth, the route is 1,700 km per hour.
As you move away from the equator toward the poles, the speed is slower . For example, at the point at 45 ° north latitude, the rotation speed is 1,000 km per hour. Over the poles, where the imaginary axis passes, the speed is zero or 0 km per hour.
Translation of the Earth
The translational movement occurs between two celestial bodies when the first makes a turn in its orbit around the second. In the case of the Earth it is to turn around the sun . Our planet takes 365 days and 6 hours to complete this translation path.
When the translational motion of the Earth interacts with the rotational motion, phenomena such as the succession of the seasons of the year, and the length of day and night, occur.
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