No glib "easy two-pointers" please. This is a serious question.
2006-08-01 04:57:33 · 6 answers · asked by paanbahar 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
north and south was an arbitrary decision...
north could very well have been the other side of earth... But it's only a name, you know...
about the universe expanding, we know that thanks to hubble and other telescopes : we see a "frequency shift" in the light patern of distant stars... and they ALL (almost) indicate that the stars in questions go away from us. therefore : galaxies are going away from each other, and the universe is therefore expanding...
the sun revolves eliptically? well..; I don't know about eliptically, but the sun does indeed revolve around the core of the milky way. But i'm not sure that's what you're talking about...
The "east" is the name we decided to call the direction... well... to the east... where the sun goes up from, if you want. But it's still only a name : no reason to question names we give, they are arbitrary. And I really don't see why you mention the expansion of the univers and the sun's orbit around the milky way's core : it's completely irrelevant to the decision of where the east is. It's a definition local to earth.
2006-08-01 05:09:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It has to do with context. In Space, say the context of our solar system, there is no North, South, East and West. Direction, speed, and location are based on relative location, distance, and speed with respect to celestial objects.
On the surface of the Earth, direction and location are given in two dimensions, with the four points of the compass being North, South, East and West. Major geographical areas are also defined by the same terms. If you go to the Far East, you are in Asia. This is based on the English navigational system and time on the surface of the Earth. If you start from the International Date Line North of the Equator and travel in the Westerly direction, you will encounter the Asian region first, which is how it was referred to by English navigators. The further West you travel, you eventually end up in the West, which is considered Western Europe and North America.
2006-08-01 05:12:49 · answer #2 · answered by odu83 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The idea of north south east and west are much more ancient than the knowledge of elliptical orbits and the universe expanding.
North was "up" when ancient peoples made the first maps, south was "down"
It is worth noting that hte North star was not always polaris. In more ancient times there was no north star, but the idea of north still existed. North meant travelling to darker and colder lands.
East was where the sun rose and the west was where it set.
Except in ancient Egypt, where "up" was south as it led to the highlands where the Nile River came "down" from. When teh Romans conquered Egypt, Roman cartography standards were adopted and maintained later after the Muslim invasions.
Peoples of Asia used the same ideas of up and down north/south, but there were a few isolated areas that used their own conventions.
hope this helps
2006-08-01 05:05:37 · answer #3 · answered by aka DarthDad 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
North is the direction from wherever you are to the north pole,.
That is the axis of the earth, not the magnetic north pole which is not at the north pole.
East is 90 degrees to the right of north.
These are all earth relative directions, they have no meaning away from the earth. The expanding universe doesn't affect them.
2006-08-01 05:07:20 · answer #4 · answered by rt11guru 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
magnetic north decides. Our planet has two poles, a positive and a negative.
2006-08-01 05:02:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is based on the magnetic poles of our earth.
2006-08-01 05:01:50 · answer #6 · answered by DannyK 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋