Scientists divide our home planet into three spheres. Each sphere is categorized according to its physical characteristics. These spheres are the Atmosphere, which is made of all the Earth’s gases; the Lithosphere, which is made up of all the Earth’s physical materials, such as rocks and soil; and the Hydrosphere, which is made up of […]
Standard time is determined by checking clocks against a sundial. When the Sun is directly overhead and shadows are at their shortest, it is said to be noon. As already discussed, many areas do not observe true Sun time due to political and social borders. During the First World War, Germany instituted a daylight saving […]
The Prime Meridian is the meridian of longitude that passes through Greenwich, England. On the opposite side of the Earth at 180 ° longitude lies an imaginary line called the International Dateline. If you took a cruise on a ship circumventing, or traveling around the entire planet, you would experience firsthand a phenomena that would […]
Sundials were used by many cultures to help the people know what time it was. When the Sun was directly overhead and the shadows of people and objects were at their shortest, it was said to be noon. As technology advanced, clocks and watches took the place of sundials. However, these clocks and watches were […]
What is leap year? Leap year happens every four years Every four years an extra day is added to the calendar, making the length of the year 366 days, instead of the normal 365. Why on earth does that need to happen? The calendar is supposed to match the solar year, in other words, the […]
Do you play a sport, or belong to a dance club? Do you swim on a swim team? How does everyone on your team or club know when to meet for practice, or to play in a game or competition? By selecting a specific time to meet, you insure that everyone arrives at around the […]
People of ancient times didn’t need a clock to notice that days are shorter during the winter and longer in the summer. Their sages (wise men and, sometimes, women) even knew when solstice (the shortest and longest days of the year) was going to come. Carefully calculating when the solstices would be helped them plan […]
Have you ever noticed that days are long and warm in the summer and short and cold in the winter? Long summer days seem to stretch into the late hours of the night, while nightfall in the wintertime begins right around dinner time. If you’ve ever wondered what causes days to get shorter and nights […]
Solstices At two points throughout the year, the tilt of the Earth’s axis reaches its maximum angle compared to the Sun, and begins to move back the other direction. This usually happens around June 21st and December 21st. These days are known as solstices. On these solstices, the rays of the Sun shine directly on […]
The many lifeforms living on the Earth are in large part dependent on heat and light from the Sun. By converting hydrogen into helium, the Sun generates an enormous amount of energy every second of every day. Although there are small variations in the intensity of this energy, for the most part, the heat and […]
