We explain what the Earth rotation is and what its consequences are. The speed it reaches and the Earth’s rotation. Please read other MTV articles for more information. If you share it, it will be of little help to us.
What is the Earth rotation?
The Earth’s rotation is the motion the planet makes as it spins on its own axis, that is, around itself. This axis consists of an imaginary line that passes through the geographic poles and is tilted 24° with respect to the Earth’s orbit.
The Earth rotation takes 24 hours to complete a complete rotation, at a speed of 1,700 kilometers per hour if measured at the equator. We don’t feel the movement because it occurs constantly and because we move at the same speed as the Earth, that is, we are part of the same terrestrial motion system. If the speed of the movement were not constant, we would feel it due to inertia.
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Consequences of Rotational Motion
The Earth’s rotational motion generates consequences at the geographical, climatic, terrestrial, and physical levels. The main ones are:
- The succession of day and night: The Sun illuminates only one half of the planet, which determines that it is daytime, while the opposite side remains dark, generating nighttime. As the planet rotates on its axis, the side that was previously dark begins to receive light, and the other half darkens.
- Time differences: The time zone system consists of a division of the day into hours for the entire planet, and has as its starting or reference point the zero meridian or Greenwich meridian. This is why dawn and dusk occur in the eastern hemisphere before the western hemisphere.
- Temperature variation: The succession of day and night causes the illuminated side of the planet to receive a greater amount of solar radiation during the day. This energy accumulates and generates an increase in temperature. During the night, this side does not receive solar radiation, and the temperature decreases.
- The shape of the Earth: If the Earth were stationary, its shape would be spherical, that is, round. Since the rotational motion is constant, a centrifugal force is generated, flattening the poles or the Earth’s axis and widening the equator. Due to this rotational motion, the planet has the shape of an ellipse or geoid.
- The cardinal points: Since the planet rotates from west to east and the Sun is at a fixed point, from Earth, it rises in the east at dawn and sets in the west at dusk. This information is useful for locating the cardinal points if you don’t have a compass.
- The Earth’s magnetic field: The Earth’s rotational motion generates a magnetic field or energy that protects the Earth from solar radiation through the atmosphere (a layer of gases surrounding the Earth). While the planet and living beings need the light and heat of the Sun, some of its rays are harmful. This magnetic field creates a stream of particles in the atmosphere that blocks them and prevents them from reaching the Earth’s surface.
Earth Rotation Speed
The speed of 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 Earth’s maximum circumference, the speed travels 1,700 km per hour.
As one moves away from the equator toward the poles, the speed slows. For example, at the point located at 45° north latitude, the rotation speed is 1,000 km per hour. At the poles, where the imaginary axis passes, the speed is zero or 0 km per hour.
Earth Translation
Translational motion occurs between two celestial bodies when the first rotates in its orbit around the second. In the case of the Earth, it revolves around the Sun. Our planet takes 365 days and 6 hours to complete this translational journey.
When the Earth’s translational motion interacts with its rotational motion, phenomena such as the succession of seasons and the length of day and night occur.
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References
All the information we offer is supported by authoritative and up-to-date bibliographic sources, ensuring reliable content in line with our editorial principles.
- Earth’s Motions in Meteorology Online.
- Rotational and Translational Motion in Differentiator.
- Earth in Wikipedia.
- Magnetism in Wikipedia.
- Rotational and Translational Motions in ICarito.
- Earth’s Magnetic Field in Hyperphysics.
