Day Lengths in New Zealand Essay Sample

📌Category: Geography, Science
📌Words: 1576
📌Pages: 6
📌Published: 07 June 2022

To discover how earth's axis and its orbit around the sun affect day lengths in different seasons IN New Zealand, we must first understand how earth's orbit of the sun creates different seasonal configurations on earth. We must also show how Earth's rotation on its axis affects the different day lengths in different seasons; in New Zealand. The earth has a elliptical orbit that revolves around the sun. This orbit and the different stages earth is placed around it causes different seasonal configurations. Configurations such as the summer or winter solstice. There is also the spring and autumn equinoxes, which is when the earth's axis is nether pointing towards or away from the sun therefore creating around 12 hours of day and night in both the southern and northern hemisphere. Depending on where earth is during these stages in earth's orbit determines when these shorter, longer or equal days earth experiences. The 23.5 degree axis of the earth is also in relation to the different day lengths in different seasons we experience because it’s what directs earth sunlight or seasonal configurations in the different hemispheres; southern or northern.

To show how all of this affects different day lengths in different season IN New Zealand we’ll be looking at the southern hemisphere in relation to earth's axis and orbit of the sun and the different seasonal configurations that are experienced. There are two moments were the southern hemisphere points away and towards the sun. This is called the summer and winter solstice. The winter solstice is the earth you can see on the left, this is when the southern hemisphere experiences its longest days. On the right of the sun you can see another earth which has the axis of the earth pointed towards the sun. This is called the summer solstice and this is when the southern hemisphere has its shortest days. The reason why the winter solstice gives the southern hemisphere shorter days is because of the earth's axis; same goes for the exact purpose of  summer solstice. The southern hemisphere is pointed towards the sun receiving the most direct sunlight whilst the northern hemisphere has the sun rays directed there more spread out amongst this area. During the summer solstice the earth's axis is pointed towards the earth resulting in the northern hemisphere receiving the most direct sunlight, and becuase of this more direct sunlight recieved in the northern hemisphere this will cause the temperature to increase. The temperature will decrease however during this solstice in the southern hemisphere because the sunrays are more dispersed over a larger part of the earth or southern hemisphere. So now that we know that earth's orbit cause different configurational seasons, which cause longest or shorter days, and the earth rotation on its axis cause different part of the earth (southern and northern hemisphere) to experience these different configural season. We can now apply this to New Zealand and how all of this affects its daylight lengths in different seasons; configurational seasons.

New Zealand is located in the southern hemisphere hence they receive the most longest days or daylight during the winter solstice and its shortest days or daylight during the summer solstice. The earth axis causes New Zealand and other parts of the southern hemisphere to experience these seasons creating longer or shorter daylight and the earth's orbit around the sun creates these seasons/ seasonal configurations.

We have talked about earth's orbit around the sun and how it creates different seasonal configurations. How the tilt of the earth exposes different hemispheres to experience these longest or shortest days and these days are caused by more directed sunlight or dispersed sunlight. Which hemisphere experiences these seasons/ longest or shorter days and then put how all of this affects New Zealand.

The Moon is Earth's natural satellite orbiting around earth every 29.53 days or a month as we call it. The Moon is pulled in by earth gravity creating its orbit around the earth and this orbit creates a number of astronomical and earthly forces Such as tides. However, I will be explaining one of the moons astronomical events; Phases. When the moon revolves around the earth, portions of it are illuminated. This is because of its relative position to the sun. The sunlit portion of the moon changes depending on where the moon is during its orbit around the earth and your perspective. From earth we can see these phases however depending on where we are these phases can look different. This is what causes the moon's phases. The earth is positioned on an axis which it revolves around, and the moon revolves around the earth. The degree of the moons orbit however orbiting around the earth is tilted 5 degrees. This means that earth's shadow from the sun is not casted on the moon during a new moon and hence why the full moon is fully lit. When we look at the moon's phases we can see up to 8 phases. The first phase is called the new moon, this is when the moon is between the earth and the sun. Next is the waxing crescent, then the first quarter. This is when the moon reaches a quarter of the way from a new full moon. After this phase the next one is the waning gibbous which has the moon almost illuminated and then after this phase there is a full moon. This is where the moon that’s seen is fully illuminated, after this phase the illuminated parts of the moon decrease as you can see from the diagram. This cycle is repeated every 29.5 days or a month. 

So the orbit of the moon relative to the suns positions creates phases, and our perspective on these phases change depending on where we are. If you are in the northern hemisphere or the south your perspective on the moon changes every day. This is because of its rotation around the earth and your perspective on which hemisphere you are in. In the southern hemisphere people see the moon upside down; the side shining is opposite from the northern hemisphere. In  the diagram beside it shows the perspective of those who see it in either the northern or southern hemisphere. New Zealand is located in the southern hemisphere so we would see the phases of the moon on the bottom part of the diagram. If we relate these phases that we see in the hemisphere to the orbit of the moon around the earth we can see how this correlates. The orbit of the moon changes the phases because of the suns position relative to the moon. As the phases change through the moons orbit different hemispheres experience these phases. We’ve just explained the phases that the southern hemisphere sees and so since New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere we can deduct that these are the phases that are seen there. The different phases are affected by the moons orbit relative to the sun and the perspective of the people (which in this case is the southern atmosphere), change which phases are seen. 

There are also other moon related astronomical events that are caused by the moon's orbit similar to the normal phases of the moon. These are called eclipses. There are two types of eclipses that can be seen 2-4 times a year, the lunar and solar eclipse. The lunar eclipse is the most common one and occurs when the sun and the moon are on different sides. Thus casting earth's shadow on the moon giving it a reddish look. The reason that this is red is because of the light lengths radiating off of the sun. The red and blue sunlight reaching the Moon passes through Earth's atmosphere where it is scattered. The earth then filters out the shorter wavelength which in this case is blue leaving the red ones left to shine on the moon making it red. This is also the same effect that causes sunsets and sunrises to turn the sky a reddish color. The solar eclipse occurs when part of the moon's shadow passes over a part of earth blocking sunlight from reaching that part of earth, and because of the size of the moon relative to the earth, the shadow casted does not fully cover the earth. This is why you can only see this astronomical event in certain places around the world. 

The lunar moon occurs during a New moon while the solar eclipse occurs during the Full moon. However because of the moons tilt and its orbit relative to the stars and the sun we cannot see it all the time. As we now know the moons orbit around the earth is tilted relative to the earth’s orbit to the sun. The casted shadow that earth creates is not always casted on the moon or vice versa because of the tilt of the moons orbit. Making it seem like this one would think that an eclipse wouldn't happen at all, but your wrong. Throughout an earth year the moon’s elliptical orbit around the earth stays fixed relative to the stars. This means that it changes with the suns orbit. Thus creating a time where the earth's shadow is casted on the moon or the moons shadow is casted onto the earth causing a lunar or solar eclipse. Lunar eclipses can occur about 2 times a year same as a solar eclipse. How does these events affect New Zealand? Well, Solar eclipses can only be viewed from certain parts of the earth and the lunar moon essentially is identical anywhere on the darkened side of the earth. This actively demonstrates that during certain solar eclipses we will not be able to see this because New Zealand isnt in the path of the moon's shadow and during the lunar moons they are seen identically everywhere. The lunar eclipse is seen in New Zealand because of how the tilt of the moons orbit allows it to fall onto opposite sides of the sun whilst a solar eclipse (if it happens in New Zealand or not) would be due to the moon's tilted orbit in respect to the stars and the sun creating a time where the sun and moon is alligned.

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