Astronomy - Chapter 1: Motions of the Earth Flashcards
The turning or spinning of a body on its axis
rotation
the motion of a body along a path around some point in space
revolution
The earth revolves around the ___
sun
The moon revolves around the ___
earth
What is precession?
It is the slight movement over a period of 26,000 years of the earth’s axis
The main consequences of the earth’s rotations
Day and night
What is a sidereal day?
The time it takes the earth to make one complete rotation with respect to a star other than the sun
Perihelion is the point at which the earth….
is closest to the sun (91 mil miles)
At aphelion the earth is…
farthest from the sun (94.5 mil miles)
The apparent annual path of the sun against the backdrop of the celestial sphere
ecliptic
The imaginary plane that connects the earth’s orbit with the celestial sphere
plane of the ecliptic
How much is the earth’s axis of rotation tilted
23.25 degrees
