Lesson 1 of 19
Earth is doing two things at once
Show on a big screenA day and a year are not the same. Earth is doing both right now.
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The idea
Step 1 of 4
- Earth sits on a ring round the Sun. An arrow shows its spin.
- One full turn of the arrow is one day.
- Earth also moves forward along the ring.
- One full trip round the ring takes about 365 days.
The rule
Earth turns once a day. It goes round the Sun once a year.
Earth's axis is the line through its two poles.
- Rotation is turning on its own axis. One turn takes about 24 hours.
- Revolution is going round the Sun. One trip takes about 365 days and 6 hours.
Earth turns from west to east. So the Sun seems to rise in the east.
The turning makes day and night. The trip round the Sun does not.
Try the lab to finish this lesson.