Axis of rotation

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/axis-of-rotation

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the Earth's axis of rotation?It is the invisible line that goes through the North and South Poles around which Earth spins, making day and night.
2. Why does the Earth have seasons?Because the axis is tilted about 23.5 degrees, so different parts of Earth get more or less sunlight as it travels around the Sun.

Angular Momentum: A measure of an object's tendency to continue rotating, dependent on its mass, velocity, and distribution.
Geocentric Model: An ancient astronomical model with Earth at the center of the universe.
Heliocentric Model: An astronomical model with the Sun at the center of the solar system.
Precession: A slow wobble of Earth's axis of rotation, similar to a spinning top slowing down.