Re: The Equinox 2009

On Sep 19, 2:49 pm, Sam Wormley <sworml...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
oriel36 wrote:
On Sep 19, 6:46 am, Sam Wormley <sworml...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
oriel36 wrote:

The traditional explanation for the seasons is to reference 'tilt' to
the central Sun with its apparent high/low variation throughout the
year while modern imaging facilitates an altogether different
interpretation where the seasons are generated strictly by the orbital
motion of the Earth and the specifics of that orbital motion.
   Gerald, science is a method for gaining knowledge about how nature
   works.

That mantra is trundled out with the defense of the 'method' ,almost a
lack of confidence to enjoy the experience of the Equinox as an event
which represents the signatures of daily rotation and orbital motion.

We know from direct observation and measurement, that the
   earth's axial tilt with respect to the ecliptic is the dominant
   cause of seasonal variations.

The Earth's 'tilt' is not a dynamic,it is a feature of the rotation of
the planet whereas the dynamic for seasonal changes is the orbital
motion of the Earth and the specifics of that motion.There is
something majestic about the event where the planet's  orbital motion
brings the geographical poles in line with the circle of illumination
and when allied with daily rotation,all locations on Earth experience
the same conditions that exist at the Equator all year round.

   Will you be offering a lamb or other hot blooded animal
   as a sacrifice this autumnal equinox, Gerald?

The newsgroups are the only available facility for presenting the
major modification for the seasonal explanation by replacing 'tilt'
with the fascinating orbital characteristic which makes the insight
both enjoyable and important.I do not forget just who's explanation I
am modifying even if you do not -

"..the equator and the earth's axis must be understood to have a
variable inclination. For if they stayed at a constant angle, and were
affected exclusively by the motion of the center, no inequality of
days and nights would be observed." Copernicus Chapter 11 De
Revolutionibus

So,when a student asks you what causes the seasons,do not mutter 'tilt
to the ecliptic' but explain that the Earth orbits the Sun in a
specific way and presently turns in such a way that the geographical
poles split the circle of illumination generating the global Equinox
event.The role of 'tilt' now acts to determine what seasonal
characteristics a planet experiences between equatorial and polar
conditions and with planetary comparisons available,it is possible to
work more productively with any variation in 'tilt' through studying
the differences in seasonal conditions of either planet (such as Earth
and Uranus.

The Earth would have seasons with or without tilt,I know this because
in the early morning light I welcomed back the seasonal return of the
constellation Orion into the celestial arena from its absence during
the Northern summer insofar as its position was obscured by the
Earth's orbital motion about the central Sun.It probably is an
injustice that people now casually remark that I am correct even
though they can't apply the same orbital mechanism for explaining the
variations in the natural noon cycle when allied with daily rotation
but that is where things get seriously complicated and I am content to
see the easier to understand seasonal explanation take hold before
moving on to really exciting stuff.



.

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