Consider this; As the winter holidays approach, the earth is approaching the sun. It is gaining velocity at an increasing rate. This acceleration increases until the earth reaches perihelion. Then it begins to move away and decrease acceleration until around July 4th. So here it is, just at the time that we start to mark …
What do Kepler’s Elliptical orbits have to do with the Holidays? Read More »
How fast does the Earth go at perihelion and aphelion? The formula for the velocity of an object at some distance r from the Sun is: v = sqrt[GM*(2/r – 1/a)] Where G is the universal gravitational constant, M is the mass of the Sun, and a is the planet’s semimajor axis. At perihelion, …
How fast does the Earth go at perihelion and aphelion? Read More »
Earth at Perihelion On January 4, 2001, our planet made its annual closest approach to the Sun.Listen to this story (requires RealPlayer) January 4, 2001 — This morning at 5 o’clock Eastern Standard time (0900 UT) Earth made its annual closest approach to the Sun — an event astronomers call perihelion. Northerners shouldn’t expect any relief from the …
Gnomon A gnomon ([ˈnoʊmɒn], from Greek γνώμων, gnōmōn, literally: “one that knows or examines”[1][2]) is the part of a sundial that casts the shadow. The term has come to be used for a variety of purposes in mathematics and other fields. History Anaximander (610–546 BC) is credited with introducing this Babylonianinstrument to the Greeks.[3] Oenopides used the phrase drawn gnomon-wise to describe a line drawn perpendicular to another.[4] Later, the term …
Gnomon is the part of a sundial that casts the shadow Read More »
Kepler’s Law Question: The Earth is closer to the sun in the winter than in the summer, according to Kepler’s law. If this is the case, wouldn’t the winter be warmer than the summer? Answer: The reason for summer and winter is not because of the distance from the earth to the sun. It is …