Astronomy Cycles

Astronomical Cycles and Their Effects on Planet Earth
By Harry Mowat
The orbit of the Moon around the sun
The Moon orbits around the Earth every 27.3 days. The Moon’s orbit around the Earth is not a circular orbit but more of an eclipse and the orientation or the orbit is not fixed but differs in time. The Earth and the Moon are both actually orbiting the sun (the Moon at a much faster rate) but in the process of that orbit the Moon orbits Earth. This process is the main cause of tide formations, the neap and spring tides and the phases of the moon.
The orbit of the Moon around Earth
Image to display the relationship between moon orbiting Earth and Earth orbiting the sun
The Moon orbiting Earth and the effects it has for neap and spring tides
A spring tide is a tide with the greatest difference between low and high water levels, a neap tide is a tide with the least difference between low and high water levels. Spring and neap tides happen due to the different stages at which the moon is orbiting earth. Spring tides are created when the moon is new or full therefore the gravitational of the sun and the moon are combined. Neap tides are created when the moon’s quarter phases and the moon and the sun are at right angles creating the bulges to cancel each other.
The Moon orbiting the Earth and it’s effects of phases of the Moon
The phases of the moon are due to the Moon in relation to the Sun and Earth. At new moon the moon is in between the Earth and the sun. After 7 days the moon is at 1st quarter. When the moon is 180° away from the sun which takes around two weeks after a new moon we get a full moon. After another week the moon has moved another quarter and is at 2nd quarter. Finally after another week the moon is back at new moon. The moon is always half illuminated but it depends on where it is in relation to Earth that makes us see “half”, “none”, or “all of it”.
Spin of the Earth
The Earth rotates through an imagery line which passes through the South and North Poles.
It takes 24 hours for Earth to do a full rotation (1 day). The speed at which Earth rotates is 1000 miles per hours or 1600 kilometers per hour. Earth spins because of how it was formed. Around 4.6 billion years ago a very large cloud of gas and dust collapsed under it owns gravity and as it collapsed it began to spin. Material in the cloud began to create swirling eddies which formed into planets (such as Earth) and they have kept the spinning motion. Earth has continued to spin because the are no forces acting upon it to which could create it to
stop.
Spin of the Earth and it’s effects for day and night
Day and night are caused by the Earth’s rotation. At any time half the Earth (on average) is facing the sun which is when it is day and half the earth is not facing the sun which is when it night. The Sun is the source for the light (daytime). As the Earth rotates a different part turns from night to day or day to night. The rotation of the earth gives us the sense that the sun is moving which always rises in the east and sets in the west.
Spin of the Earth and the effects it has for the Coriolis Effect
If the Earth didn’t spin the wind would just go straight from the equator to the North and South. But with the spin of the Earth the Coriolis effect happens. The Coriolis effect is the wind going on a slightly skewed diagonally clockwise. The further the way from the equator the larger the effect is. This happens because of the Earth’s spherical shape.
• https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwiy1b6Bw8TNAhWIX5QKHXhIA14QjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmoonblink.info%2FEclipse%2Fwhy%2Fsolsys&bvm=bv.125596728,d.dGo&psig=AFQjCNHFAWu7afk7973VHIM2X4OCkYg-ew&ust=14669903224308028
• Retrieved on Saturday 25 June - 1pm
• http://home.hiwaay.net/~krcool/Astro/moon/moontides/
• By Keith Cooley
• Retrieved on Saturday 25 June - 1:30pm
• https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=0ahUKEwil4Lq20cTNAhULnJQKHfllARsQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Flivebooklet.com%2Fpublish.php%3FwpKey%3D1g7lGVbN0ZLXaa3pLgj0dt&psig=AFQjCNGTjel8DMNvnFnU55FqLMm6ReEmgg&ust=1466994204695059&cad=rjt
• Retrieved on Saturday 25 June 2pm
• Cool Cosmos
• http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/59-Why-does-Earth-spin-
• Retrieved on Monday 27 June 6pm
• http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/time/
• By Mandy Barrow
• Retrieved Monday 27 June 6:30pm
• https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjPzIjh-8bNAhXEpJQKHbIkBe0QjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk%2Ftime%2F&bvm=bv.125596728,d.dGo&psig=AFQjCNEhxxxjYI0VfnlOQsmDWeY6oFq6Jg&ust=1467074251917507
• Retrieved on Monday 27 June 6:45
• http://www.space.com/6650-moon-phases-work.html
• By Geoff Gaherty
• Retrieved on Tuesday 28 June 8:45am
• https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwidyrvhjsrNAhUEGpQKHYI9CV8QjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.exploringnature.org%2Fdb%2Fview%2F1841&psig=AFQjCNFqg6itzRiaZxpSAPf57oNgRHvkYQ&ust=1467182457588931
• Retrieved on Tuesday 28 June 9:15am
• http://climate.ncsu.edu/secc_edu/images/coreff.jpg
• Retrieved on Thursday 30 June 4pm
• http://climate.ncsu.edu/edu/k12/.coriolis
• Retrieved on Thursday 30 June 4pm
Bibliography
Bilbliography Continued