ASTR 100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Tidal Locking, Full Moon, 40 Minutes
Document Summary
As we will see in this subsection, earth"s rotation on its axis determines the passage of day and night, which dictates the rhythm of life on earth. North pole is at the north end of earth"s rotation axis. Imagine you are in space far above earth"s north pole. From there you would see earth complete a counterclockwise rotation, once each 24-hour period, As the rotating earth carries an observer on the surface from west to east, objects in the sky appear to move in the other direction, from east to west. Directly above earth"s north pole is the north celestial pole (ncp). Directly above earth"s south pole, which is at the south end of earth"s rotation axis, is the south celestial pole (scp). Directly above earth"s equator is the celestial equator, an imaginary circle that divides the sky into a northern half and a southern half. Latitude is an indication of distance north or south from earth"s equator.
