Earth's Orbit | Seasons, Eclipses, and Tides

Happy Spring! The Vernal Equinox by Mary Bates

Every year, we have many different seasons and weather patterns, but they all come back into four main categories, the four seasons. We all know what they are, the colder winter months, the bright springtime, fun filled summers and golden falls. But what causes all of these different times of the year. The answer is simple, Earth's tilt and orbit. Earth is tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees and rotates in  a oval orbit around the sun. This causes for different parts of the Earth to face the sun at different times, making the four seasons. These four seasons are then split into 2 different sections, solstices and equinoxes. There are the Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes when the sun is directly overhead at the equator. Then there are the Winter and Summer Solstices when the sun is directly above the Tropic of Cancer.

These different seasons don't only affect our activities and weather, they also affect our tides. Many people know that the tides are controlled mostly by the gravitational pulls of the moon. This causes for high and low tides, but also spring and neap tides. When the moon and the sun are in perfect alignment, the earth experiences very high tides on the sides of the earth facing the sun and the moon, this is called a spring tide. Then there are neap tides. This is when the sun, moon and Earth form a right angle. This causes lower tides on the sides of the earth with tidal bulges. Tidal bulges are caused by water being pulled towards the moon and the sun, making a longer oval around the Earth.

While we are talking about the moon, we may as well talk about eclipses. There are two main types of eclipses, solar and lunar eclipses. A solar eclipse is when the moon comes in the way of the earth and the sun. This causes the sun's light to be blocked out from Earth for a period of time. There can also be partial or full eclipses depending on where the moon is. There are the Umbra and the Penumbra parts of an eclipse, for a full solar eclipse, the moon is in the Umbra, and for partial eclipses, the moon is usually in the Penumbra. Then there are lunar eclipses, this is when the Earth comes in the way of the sun and the moon, casting the moon into complete darkness,m for the most part. There are partial lunar eclipses in the Penumbra, full lunar eclipses in the Umbra, and then harvest moons which are full lunar eclipses but in exact alignment with the sun and the Earth, making it glow red.

S&EP
SP2: Using Models

Scientists use models everyday to help them better understand science concepts that they are studying or working on. We used models of the earth, its orbit, tidal bulges and more to help us understand how the Earth and it all works. It helps me to visualize what is going on and how everything was moving. These models showed me how the Earth orbited and what that did to affect the seasons, eclipses and tides.

XCC
XCC:Patterns

The seasons are a yearly reminder of all the patterns in our lives. The same four seasons happen every year in the same order at about the same time. They repeat and repeat in our lives. The same this is true for tides, the high an low tides come in a pattern or high, low, high, low... on and on and on. then we have the moon cycle of waxing, full, waning, new.... on and on. These cycles make up our year and some of the things within it, repeating in an everlasting pattern in our universe. This goes to show just how much cycles are patterns that affect us and the world around us, repeating themselves as time goes on.