Translation movement: characteristics, effects

O translation movement it is associated with the existence of seasons of the year and climatic dynamics, in addition to events such as the solstices and the equinoxes.

As we know, the Earth is in constant motion and translation is one of the main movements of our planet. They are essential for the life cycles in it to work perfectly, like the hydrological cycle.

every planet in ssystem shello it has its movements according to its distance from the Sun. They influence climate dynamics, changes in tides, seasons of the year, consequences of days and nights, and countless other activities related to life on Earth.

Translation movement.

Read too: What would happen if the Earth stopped rotating?

Characteristics of the translation movement

The translation movement happens when the Earth completes a back around the Sun. It lasts approximately 365 days and six hours. Therefore, every four years, one day is added to the year in the month of February. When this occurs, that year is called leap year.

Image that demonstrates the rotation and translation of the Earth.

Effects of translation movement

Just as rotation brings the days and nights and the rise in sea level, comparing the coasts of the Eastern Hemisphere with those of the Western Hemisphere, translation also generates some consequences, such as the definition of the seasons of the year and phenomena such as solstices and equinoxes.

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• Seasons

The seasons of the year — spring, autumn, winter and summer — vary according to the planet's orbital position in relation to the Sun. They occur thanks to the Earth's movement around this star.

Due to the orbit position, the Northern and Southern hemispheres will always have the opposite seasons. For example: while in Brazil it is summer (Southern Hemisphere), in Spain it will be winter (Northern Hemisphere) and vice versa. In some areas of the planet it is more difficult to distinguish these seasons, as is the case of regions located in the tropical zones of the world. To learn more about the differences and characteristics of these phenomena, visit: Seasons.

See the characteristics of each season and their respective start dates in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres in the table below.

Seasons	Start and end - Northern Hemisphere	Start and end - Southern Hemisphere	Features
Summer	June 21st to September 23rd	December 22nd to March 20th	High temperatures and longer days; Constant rains due to heat — evaporation of water accumulated in the soil is accentuated.
Autumn	September 22/23 to December 22	March 20th to June 21st	Mild temperatures; Falling leaves from trees; Temperature drops at the end of the season, marking the arrival of winter.
Winter	December 22nd to March 20th	June 21st to September 23rd	Cold season; Longer nights and shorter days; Hibernation of some animals.
Spring	March 20th to June 21st	September 22/23 to December 22	Mild temperatures; Blooming of flowers; Days and nights of the same duration.

• solstice and equinox

Because of the Earth's angle of inclination in relation to the Sun, solar lighting does not reach all regions equally. In this way, some areas receive more sunlight (areas close to the Lyah from equator), and others less (the poles of the planet).

Because of this, approximately December 21st is the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere, besides the beginning of summer. The sun's rays fall on the Tropic of Capricorn, making the south more illuminated. In the Northern Hemisphere, the opposite occurs, with the beginning of winter and the shortest day of the year. This phenomenon is known as solstice summer (Southern Hemisphere) and winter solstice (Northern Hemisphere). It's time when one hemisphere is more illuminated by the sun than the other.

The same fact is reversed in both hemispheres on June 21, when the sun's rays fall on the Tropic of Cancer: it is the longest day in the north and the shortest day in the south.

Between March 21st and 23rd and September 21st and 23rd, the planet receives solar rays perpendicular to the Equator. In this way, these rays radiate equally to both hemispheres. With that, the heat stroke has the same conditions, leaving the day with 12 hours and the night as well. Such phenomenon is called equinoxspring and autumnal equinox, depending on the hemisphere and period, in March or September. During the equinox, days and nights have the same duration, 12 hours. To learn more about these astronomical events, read the text: solstice and equinox.

Other Earth Movements

• Rotation

It is the movement that the planet makes around its own axis, that is, a come back around. It takes place in the anticlockwise, which allows the Sun to be seen primarily in the Eastern Hemisphere. Hence the popular expression about Japan, “the land of the rising sun”.

Each rotation movement lasts, on average, 23 h and 56 min, or 24 h (solar day). Also, the rotation of the planet is responsible for the existence of days and nights, by the rise in sea level on the east coast compared to the west coast, and also by the westward shift of sea currents and atmospheric air circulation.

• Elliptical, ecliptic, aphelion and perihelion

Our planet is not a perfect sphere, the poles being flattened, a shape known as geoid. Therefore, the Earth's trajectory around the Sun occurs in an oval shape, receiving the name of trajectory elliptic, and its path is named ecliptic plane.

Representation of the planet's movements with the oval route and the ecliptic plane.

During its orbit, at times, the Earth may be closer or farther from the Sun. When there is a smaller distance between the two, we call it perihelion, which measures approximately 147 million kilometers. Likewise, when the Earth is furthest from the Sun, we call this point the aphelion, which can be approximately 152 kilometers.

See too: Overy curiosities about the Solar System

solved exercises

Question 1 - (UFRGS/2016) The left column presents the rotation and translation movements, responsible for several phenomena; the one on the right, some of these phenomena.

Properly associate the columns.

1. Rotation

2. Translation

( ) Aphelion and perihelion

( ) Wind deviations

( ) Apparent movement of the sun

( ) Seasons

The correct sequence for filling the parentheses, from top to bottom, is:

a) 2 - 1 - 1 - 2

b) 1 - 2 - 1 - 2

c) 1 - 2 - 2 - 1

d) 2 - 2 - 1 - 1

e) 1 - 1 - 2 - 2

Resolution

Alternative "a"

Phenomena such as aphelion and perihelion, in addition to the existence of seasons, are consequences of the Earth's translation.

_________

Question 2 - On Earth's movements, mark the correct alternative.

a) The seasons of the year exist thanks to the rotation movement.

b) The movement that the Earth makes around itself is called translation.

c) The rotation direction of the planet is clockwise, that is, from east to west.

d) The N and S hemispheres receive the same amount of sunlight year-round.

e) Days and nights occur thanks to the planet's rotation, movement around itself.

Resolution

Alternative “e”.

Thanks to the rotation movement, days and nights happen, in addition to time differences in different regions of the planet.

By Attila Matthias
Geography teacher