Earth Axis

We explain what the earth's axis is, where it is located and what earth movements it is related to. Also, what phenomena affect it.

earth axis
The inclination of the Earth's axis gives rise to the phenomenon of the seasons.

What is the earth's axis?

The earth axis or polar axis It is an imaginary line 12,713 kilometers long that joins the two geographical poles of the planet (the North Pole and the South Pole), crossing it more or less perpendicular to the equator and with an inclination of 23° with respect to the plane of the ecliptic, that is, with respect to the apparent path that the sun traces in the sky when it rises and hide.

This imaginary line allows us to understand the different movements that our planet makes, beyond its 365-day rotation around the Sun. In fact, the Earth's axis represents the center of the rotation movement of our planet (24 hours) and also the axis on which it is inclined, giving rise to the phenomenon of the seasons of the year, since the Earth's axis is not completely perpendicular, like that of Jupiter, Venus or Mercury.

On the other hand, the Earth's axis is not entirely stable either. It changes orientation cyclically, over fairly long periods, which gives rise to movements known as precession (every 25,767 years) and nutation (every 18.6 years), that is, the tilting and pitching movements carried out by our planet. planet. Furthermore, the terrestrial axis also allows us to define the so-called celestial poles, which are the two imaginary points where the terrestrial axis coincides with the celestial sphere, that is, with the imaginary sphere that contains the visible universe.

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Phenomena that affect the earth's axis

It is known that large earthquakes, stellar impacts and other cataclysmic or large-magnitude events can have a greater or lesser impact in the behavior of our planet, pushing the planetary axis from its 23° inclination with respect to the ecliptic to 27°, more or less.

There are also scientific studies that suggest a correlation between global warming and the shift of the geographic poles of the planet (the so-called polar drift), given that as the world's temperature increases, its large ice masses melt and the weight distribution changes, which could have an impact on the way the Earth's axis behaves.

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References

  • “Earth axis” in Wikipedia.
  • “The inclination of the Earth's axis and the phenomenon of the seasons” in Astronomía.net.
  • “Translation and terrestrial axis” in the National Administration of Public Education (Uruguay).
  • “How climate change is changing the Earth's axis” on BBC News Mundo.
  • “Axis” in National Geographic.