Night Sky: The Earth’s Seasons

ACTIVITY ONE: Crtl-Click on the Link below

  1. Click continue to interactive
  2. Click SHOW on TROPICS/EQUATOR
  3. Select 0o for the EARTH’S TILT
  4. Under the tab SHOW CITY click on MELBOURNE, AUS
  5. Change the month from January to December. As you do so pay attention to the amount of DAYLIGHT HRS each city receives and it’s TEMPERATURE.

Question One: What do you notice about the amount of daylight each city receives? What about the temperature?

  1. Now change the EARTH’S TILT to 23.5o
  2. Again change the months from January to December. As you do again pay attention to the amount of DAYLIGHT HRS each city receives and it’s TEMPERATURE.

QUESTION TWO: Record the changes in temperature and daylight hrs for Chicago and Melbourne in the table below.

Temperature Changes

City / January / March / May / July / September
Chicago
Melbourne

Amount of Daylight Received

City / January / March / May / July / September
Chicago
Melbourne

QUESTION TWO: From your data above. What can you conclude about the Tilt of the Earth and the changes in temperature during the different seasons?

ACTIVITY THREE: Crtl-Click on the Link below

  1. Click the tab INTERACTIVE
  2. Set the INCLINATION ANGLE to 0O
  3. Click on the box TRACE SUN’S PATH

QUESTION ONE: As the Earth orbits the sun what do you notice about the path of the sun through the Sky? Does it change throughout the seasons? Remain the same?

  1. Now click SET EARTH’S INCLINATION TO THAT OF – URANUS
  2. Click CLEAR TRACE.

QUESTION TWO: Describe the path of the sun in the sky (From Earth) throughout a single year (orbit).

  1. Now SET EARTH’S INCLINATION TO THAT OF – EARTH
  2. Click CLEAR TRACE.

QUESTION THREE: Describe the height of the sun in the sky (From Earth) throughout a single year (orbit). When is the sun higher in the sky? When is it lower in the sky?