By: Tiara Suci Apriliani, Teacher at SDN Kudaile 05, Slawi, Tegal, Central Java
KOMPAS.com – In solar system, the sun acts as the center. The planets move around the Sun. As they move around the Sun, the planets have their own paths called orbits.
The order of the planets in the solar system is Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Each planet has its own characteristics. So is Earth.
The earth is referred to as blue planet. This is because the Earth appears blue when viewed from space.
There is life on Earth too. Life on Earth is supported by the presence of oxygen (O2) and water. In fact, 2/3 of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. In addition, Earth also has a layer of air called the atmosphere.
Also read: Earth Formation Process Theory
Like the other planets, Earth also makes motion. There are two movements made by the Earth, namely rotation and revolution. Rotation is the rotation of the Earth on its axis. Meanwhile, revolution is the rotation of the Earth around the Sun.
The time it takes the Earth to make a rotation and a revolution is not the same. To rotate, the Earth takes 24 hours (1 day).
Meanwhile, to evolve, Earth takes 365 days. In a leap year, Earth takes 366 days to evolve. The existence of rotation and revolution has consequences in Earth.
The effects of Earth’s rotation include:
- Alternating day and night
The part of the Earth facing the sun will experience day, while the part of the Earth facing away from the sun will experience night.
- Time difference of places on Earth
Places on Earth have different latitudes and longitudes. 0 degrees longitude is in the city of Greenwich, London, England. That’s where the time points of the places on Earth are calculated.
Indonesia itself is divided into three time zones, namely East Indonesia Time (WIT), Central Indonesian Time (WITA), and West Indonesia Time (WIB). Each time zone has a difference of 1 hour.
Also read: Why Can the Use of Air Conditioning Increase Earth’s Warming?
- The daily pseudo motion of the sun
Due to the rotation of the Earth, the sun seems to rise in the east and set in the west. In fact, the Earth rotates from west to east.
The consequences of the Earth revolution include:
There are various seasons on Earth, namely summer, spring, autumn, and winter. Dating seasons alternate because when it rotates and evolves the Earth’s position tilts to the northeast.
As a result, the Earth’s poles are tilted towards the sun causing the southern part of the Earth to be closer to the sun and experience summer.
At the same time, the northern hemisphere is far from the sun, causing winter.
Between the turn of summer to winter, there is autumn. Between the alternation of winter to summer, spring occurs.
So, the northern and southern hemispheres have 4 seasons. While the middle of the Earth, only has 2 seasons, namely the rainy and dry seasons.
Also read: Why the Sun is Called the Greatest Energy Source on Earth
- The difference between the length of day and night
The difference in the length of day and night is also caused by the revolution of the Earth. The part of the Earth that is closer to the sun will experience a longer day. The part of the Earth that is far from the sun will experience longer nights.
The revolution of the Earth causes the constellations to change. Constellations are rows of stars visible from Earth that form a certain cluster.
- The annual pseudo-motion of the sun
At any given time, the sun appears to be in the northern hemisphere. However, sometimes the sun appears to be in the southern hemisphere. This is because the Earth is evolving and has a tilt.
A leap year is a year that has 366 days. The time it takes the Earth to evolve is 365 days, so every 4 years will be 366 days.
That is the result of the rotation and revolution of the Earth. Let’s love our Earth in wise ways. Behaving gratefully for the gift of God Almighty is one way to love our Earth.
Also read: Animals That Use Earth’s Magnetism for Navigation
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