During a complete revolution of the Earth around the sun, several things happen:
1. Seasons: The changing positions of the Earth in its orbit around the sun cause different parts of the Earth to receive varying amounts of sunlight. This variation in sunlight leads to the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
2. Day and night: As the Earth revolves around the sun, it also rotates on its axis. This rotation is responsible for the alternation of day and night. One complete rotation on its axis takes about 24 hours, causing day and night to occur every day.
3. Annual orbit: The Earth completes one full orbit around the sun in approximately 365.25 days, resulting in one year. This orbit determines the length of a year and is responsible for the cycle of seasons.
4. Equinoxes and Solstices: During the Earth's orbit, it reaches two points known as the equinoxes and two points known as the solstices. The equinoxes occur around March 20th and September 22nd, during which day and night are of equal length globally. The solstices occur around June 21st (summer solstice) and December 21st (winter solstice), marking the longest and shortest days of the year, respectively, in terms of daylight.
5. Axial tilt: The Earth's axis is tilted about 23.5 degrees relative to its orbit around the sun. This tilt is responsible for the changing seasons as different parts of the Earth receive varying amounts of sunlight at different times of the year.
These are some of the key events that occur during a complete revolution of the Earth around the sun.
Animation shows a complete revolution of the Earth around the sun. What happens during this time?
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