Which way does the earth rotate on its axis? How is it tilted if facing North America?

Answer 1

Earth has two important movements. The first is the rotation of the Earth around an invisible axis. It takes the Earth about 24 hours to finish one complete rotation. This motion is responsible for days and nights. The second important movement that affects the Earth is its revolution around the Sun. One revolution takes 365 ¼ days, or one year

Viewed from Earth's north pole, the motion of Earth, its moon and their axial rotations are all counterclockwise. The orbital and axial planes are not precisely aligned: Earth's axis is tilted some 23.5 degrees against the Earth–Sun plane (which causes the seasons); and the Earth–Moon plane is tilted about 5 degrees against the Earth-Sun plane (without a tilt, there would be an eclipse every two weeks, alternating between lunar eclipses and solar eclipses).

Because of the axial tilt of the Earth, the position of the Sun in the sky (as seen by an observer on the surface) varies over the course of the year. For an observer at a northern latitude, when the northern pole is tilted toward the Sun the day will last longer and the Sun will climb higher in the sky. This results in warmer average temperatures from the increase in solar radiation reaching the surface. When the northern pole is tilted away from the Sun, the reverse is true and the climate is generally cooler. Above the arctic circle, an extreme case is reached where there is no daylight at all for at least part of the year. (This is called a polar night.)

This variation in the climate (because of the direction of the Earth's axial tilt) results in the seasons. By astronomical convention, the four seasons are determined by the solstices—the point in the orbit of maximum axial tilt toward or away from the Sun—and the equinoxes, when the tilt is minimized. Winter solstice occurs on about December 21, summer solstice is near June 21, spring equinox is around March 20 and autumnal equinox is about September 23. The axial tilt in the southern hemisphere is exactly the opposite of the direction in the northern hemisphere. Thus the seasonal effects in the south are reversed.

The angle of the Earth's tilt is relatively stable over long periods of time. However, the tilt does undergo a slight, irregular motion (known as nutation) with a main period of 18.6 years. The orientation (rather than the angle) of the Earth's axis also changes over time, precessing around in a complete circle over each 25,800 year cycle. Both of these motions are caused by the varying attraction of the Sun and Moon on the Earth's equatorial bulge. From the perspective of the Earth, the poles also migrate a few metres across the surface. This polar motion has multiple, cyclical components, which collectively are termed quasiperiodic motion. In addition to an annual component to this motion, there is a 14-month cycle called the Chandler wobble. The rotational velocity of the Earth also varies in a phenomenon known as length of day variation.

In modern times, Earth's perihelion occurs around January 3, and the aphelion around July 4. For other eras, see precession and Milankovitch cycles. Coincidentally, the southern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun at about the same time that the Earth reaches the closest approach to the Sun. This results in about a 6.9% increase in solar energy reaching the southern hemisphere at perihelion.[68] However, this effect is much less significant than the total energy change due to the axial tilt, and most of the excess energy is absorbed by the higher proportion of water in the southern hemisphere.

The Hill sphere (gravitational sphere of influence) of the Earth is about 1.5 Gm (930,000 miles) in radius. This is maximum distance at which the Earth's gravitational influence becomes stronger than the more distant Sun and planets. Objects must orbit the Earth within this radius, or they can become unbound by the gravitational perturbation of the Sun.

Answer 2

The Earth rotates counterclockwise when you look down its axis of rotation from the North Pole.

"The Earth has an axial tilt of about 23° 27’. The axis is tilted in the same direction throughout a year; however, as the Earth orbits the Sun, the hemisphere (half part of earth) tilted away from the Sun will gradually come to be tilted towards the Sun, and vice versa. This effect is the main cause of the seasons (see effect of sun angle on climate). Whichever hemisphere is currently tilted toward the Sun experiences more hours of sunlight each day, and the sunlight at midday also strikes the ground at an angle nearer the vertical and thus delivers more heat."

Answer 3

North America rotates with Earth, so it would change over time. The tilt of the north poles leans toward the sun in the summer time. That is what makes summer. When it is tipped away from the sun, we have winter in the northern hemisphere.

Earth spins toward the east. That is why the sun always comes up in the east.

Answer 4

It rotates from west to east. If you're looking down from the north pole, it's rotating counter-clockwise.

The Earth is tilted 23 1/2 degrees from the plane of it's orbit. Currently, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted in toward the sun, and will continue to be more & more in daylight until June 21st, the longest day of the year & first day of summer. After that date, the number of hours of daylight (in the northern hemisphere) will start to diminish.

Answer 5

If looking from the north pole it rotates anticlockwise. The tilt is relative to actual space, that means throughout the year and day its constantly changing with respect to a place on earth. During winter the northern hemisphere is closer to the sun and during winter the southern hemisphere is closer to the sun. Seasons are not due to the closeness of the earth to the sun, but mainly due to the effect of that tilt making longer and shorter days throughout the year.

Answer 6

Which way does the earth rotate?
First answer by Rasputin. Last edit by Crystal. Contributor trust: 384 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 42 [recommend question]



Answer
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/980225a.html

The Earth rotates on its axis from West to East with its axis in the North/South direction (by definition of North and South). So it is rotating "due North" because of the right hand rule.


Answer
it rotates then counter clock wise (as viewed from the north pole)

Answer 7

The Moon orbits around the Earth once a month. It also rotates on its own axis once a month. This means the Moon keeps the same side pointing at Earth all the time, but it does NOT always keep the same side pointing the same direction in space, for example pointing at the constellation Ares. A simple demonstration with 3 people will help. One person is the Earth and stands in the middle of the room. Another person is a star in space and stands to one side of the room. A 3rd person is the Moon and walks around the first person, always looking directly at that person he or she is walking around. The person at the side of the room will sometimes see the face and sometimes the back of the head of the person walking around, while the person being walked around will always see the face of the person walking around him or her.

Answer 8

Facing the north pole the Earth is rotating on its axis(spinning) counterclockwise, it is senseless to ask: "facing N. America".