The Earth's axis is an important factor in the climate of our planet

Earth's axis of our planet in the northern vector is directed to the point where there is a second-magnitude star, called Polyarnaya, in the tail part of the Ursa Minor constellation.

This star within a day delineates on the celestial sphere a small circle with a radius of about 50 minutes of arc.

In ancient times we knew about the inclination of the earth's axis

Very long time, in the II century BC. E., the astronomer Hipparchus discovered that this point is mobile in the starry sky and slowly moves towards the movement of the Sun. He calculated the speed of this movement at 1 ° per century. This discovery was called "precession of the earth's axis." This is the course ahead, or the anticipation of the equinox. The exact value of this motion, constant precession, is 50 seconds per year. Based on this, the full cycle of the ecliptic will be approximately 26,000 years.

Accuracy is important for science

Let us return to the question of the pole. Determination of its exact position among the stars is one of the most important tasks of astrometry, which deals with measurements of arcs and angles on the celestial sphere in order to determine the coordinates of stars and planets, proper motions and distances to stars, as well as solving practical astronomy problems important for geography, geodesy And navigation.

You can find the position of the world's pole by using a photo. Imagine a long-focus photographic camera, realized in the form of an astrograph, directed motionlessly to the region of the sky near the pole. In such a photograph each star will describe a more or less long arc of a circle with a single common center, which will be the pole of the world - the point where the rotation of the earth's axis is directed.

A bit about the angle of inclination of the Earth's axis

The plane of the celestial equator, being perpendicular to the earth's axis, also changes its position, which causes the movement of the points of intersection of the equator with the ecliptic. In turn, the attraction of the Moon to the equatorial displacement of the Earth's masses tends to turn the Earth in such a way that its equatorial plane crosses the Moon. But in this case these forces act not on the water shell of the Earth, but on the masses forming the equatorial swelling of its ellipsoidal figure.

Imagine a ball inscribed in a terrestrial ellipsoid, which it touches at the poles. Such a sphere is attracted by the Moon and the Sun by forces directed toward its center. For this reason, the Earth's axis remains unchanged. This attraction, acting on the equatorial swelling, tends to turn the Earth in such a way that the planes of the earth's equator and the object attracting it coincide, creating a tipping moment. The sun during the year twice moves away from the equator to ± 23.5 °, and the removal of the moon from the equator during the month reaches almost ± 28.5 °.

Children's toy tops open a little secret

If the Earth did not rotate, it would tend to bend, as if nodding, so that the equator always watched the Sun and the Moon. True, due to the huge mass and inertia of the Earth, such fluctuations would be very insignificant, since the Earth could not react to such a rapid change of directions. We are well acquainted with this phenomenon on the example of a children's top. Gravity tends to overturn the top, but the centripetal force protects it from falling. As a result, the axis moves, describing the conical shape. And the faster the movement, the narrower the figure. The earth's axis behaves the same way. This is a certain guarantor of its stable position in space.

The angle of the Earth's axis affects the climate

The Earth moves around the Sun in an orbit that is almost similar to a circle. Observation of the speed of stars located near the ecliptic, represents that at any moment we are approaching one of the stars and moving away from them in the sky at a speed of 29.5 kilometers per hour. The change of the seasons is the result of that. There is a tilt of the earth's axis to the plane of the orbit and is about 66.5 degrees.

Because of the small elliptical orbit, the planet in January is somewhat closer to the Sun than in July, but the difference in distance is not significant. Therefore, the influence on obtaining heat from our star is hardly noticeable.
Scientists believe that the Earth's axis is an unstable parameter of our planet. As studies show, the angle of inclination of the earth's axis relative to the plane of its orbit in the past was different and periodically changed. According to legends about the death of Phaethon in the descriptions of Plato, there is a mention of the displacement of the axis in this awful time by 28 °. This catastrophe took place more than ten thousand years ago.

Slightly fantasize and change the angle of the Earth

The present angle of the earth's axis with respect to the plane of the orbit is 66.5 ° and provides not so sharp fluctuations in winter-summer temperatures. For example, if this angle was about 45 °, what would happen at the latitude of Moscow (55.5 °)? In May, the sun under these conditions will reach zenith (90 °) and will shift to 100 ° (55.5 ° + 45 ° = 100.5 °).

With such intensive movement of the Sun, the spring period would pass much faster, and in May it would reach a peak of temperatures, as at the equator at the maximum solstice. Then slightly weakened, since the sun, passing the zenith, would go a little further. Then he returned back, passing the zenith again. Within two months, in July and May, there would be an unbearable heat, about 45-50 degrees Celsius.

Now consider what would happen to the winter, for example, in Moscow? After passing the second zenith, our star would fall in December to 10 degrees (55.5 ° -45 ° = 10.5 °) above the horizon. That is, with the approach of December, the sun would have appeared for a shorter period than now, rising slowly above the horizon. During this period, the sun would shine for 1-2 hours a day. Under such conditions, the night temperature will drop below -50 degrees Celsius.

Every version of evolution has the right to life

As we see, for the climate on the planet it is important, at what angle the earth's axis. This is a fundamental phenomenon in the soft climate and living conditions. Although, perhaps under different conditions on the planet, evolution would have gone a little differently, creating new species of animals. And life would continue to exist in another of its varieties, and, perhaps, there would be a place for "another" person in it.