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Cause and Effect — The Earth's Movements
The Earth spins on its tilted axis
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Rotation gives day and night
One half faces the Sun while the other is dark.
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Revolution changes the sky
Orbiting the Sun brings different stars and seasons.
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Line-ups cause eclipses
The Moon or Earth can block the Sun's light.
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Days, seasons, and eclipses on Earth
Mind Map
Earth, Moon, and the Sun
Chapter 12 · Class 7
12.1
Rotation
Earth spins in 24 hours, causing day and night.
12.2
Revolution
Earth orbits the Sun in about one year.
12.2.1
Changing Sky
Different stars rise at sunset over a year.
12.2.2
Seasons
Caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis.
12.3.1
Solar Eclipse
Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth.
12.3.2
Lunar Eclipse
Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon.
Key Terms and Definitions
- Rotation
- The spinning of the Earth on its own axis.
- Axis of Rotation
- The imaginary line through the poles about which the Earth spins.
- Day and Night
- Caused by the Earth's rotation from West to East.
- Revolution
- The motion of the Earth around the Sun.
- Orbit
- The path an object takes around another object.
- Tilt of the Axis
- The slant of the Earth's axis that causes seasons.
- Summer Solstice
- The longest day, around 21 June in the North.
- Winter Solstice
- The shortest day, around 22 December in the North.
- Equinox
- A day with 12 hours of light and 12 of dark.
- Eclipse
- When one body blocks sunlight from reaching another.
- Solar Eclipse
- When the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth.
- Lunar Eclipse
- When the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon.
- Apparent Size
- The size of an object as seen, based on size and distance.
- Natural Satellite
- A body like the Moon that orbits a planet.
