January

[AmericanThunder]

Geez, what a long month this has been. Christmas feels like months ago and yet we are still a week away from the end of the month.
January is never a quick month but this one belongs in a time warp!

Is it spring yet?

 

[TransAmDan]

Daylight time is getting longer, so thats a step in the right direction.

I wont say days are getting longer as its misleasing, its still around 24 hours, with a gain of a few nano seconds, but it is true days are always getting longer as the earths rotation slows down. ?

 

[Will]

Daylight time is getting longer, so thats a step in the right direction.

I wont say days are getting longer as its misleasing, its still around 24 hours, with a gain of a few nano seconds, but it is true days are always getting longer as the earths rotation slows down. ?

There is something else happening with the Earth's rotation called Precession. The earth is tilted from the vertical with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun by 23.5 degrees (that's why we get seasons). But the North Pole itself is slowly rotating around the vertical - a bit like a spinning top does. This may affect day length but I doubt by much because one pole rotation as a result of Precession takes about 23,000 years! lol. I am pretty sure that figure is correct, I did an astronomy course but that was many years ago
As with the Earth's slowing rotation, the effect of days getting longer because we are approaching spring is probably massive by comparison.
And yeah, I feel like January is dragging too!

 

[an88fiero]

There is something else happening with the Earth's rotation called Precession. The earth is tilted from the vertical with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun by 23.5 degrees (that's why we get seasons). But the North Pole itself is slowly rotating around the vertical - a bit like a spinning top does. This may affect day length but I doubt by much because one pole rotation as a result of Precession takes about 23,000 years! lol. I am pretty sure that figure is correct, I did an astronomy course but that was many years ago
As with the Earth's slowing rotation, the effect of days getting longer because we are approaching spring is probably massive by comparison.
And yeah, I feel like January is dragging too!

always thought that because the earth doesn’t rotate on an even axis means that slowly the ice in the North Pole will gradually melt and freeze somewhere else. ...........

 

[Will]

always thought that because the earth doesn’t rotate on an even axis means that slowly the ice in the North Pole will gradually melt and freeze somewhere else. ...........

I don't remember being tought anything about our polar ice caps moving, only about seasonal changes and a re-positioning of the stars as viewed by us, but you may be right. As I say it, was a long time ago. In fact, Precession apparently takes about 26,000 years and not 23,000 as I'd said. So there you go! lol
I found this about it on Wickedpeculiar!!...

Axial precession - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[TransAmDan]

Magnetic North to be the other side of planet too, It has switched many times since the earth was formed.

 

[Stephen CA]

Periodic changes in the orbit of the earth are known as "Milankovitch Cycles" after the Serbian geophycist Milan Milankovitch (who isn't the same bloke that used to own Portsmouth). There are a number of factors that effect the rotation and orbit of the earth and hence the overal, length of the day.

Milankovitch cycles - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Also, the last polar reversal of the earths magnetic field was the Bruhnes-Matayama event that happened around 780,000 years ago, so the next one is well over due, as is the next ice age.....

 

[Will]

Fascinating reading, it sure is a complex subject. Interestingly, that Wikepedia article mentions that Milankovitch believed his cycles to be one of the resultant effects of precession. But the separate Wikepedia entry on precession states that the Milankovitch Cycles are not directly attributable to precession. But then, there's a shed load of stuff that subsequent science has been able to disprove. Not to take anything away from the early pioneers of science though. Some of the discoveries made with such primitive equipment and minimal information blow me away!!

 

[Stephen CA]

Fascinating reading, it sure is a complex subject. Interestingly, that Wikepedia article mentions that Milankovitch believed his cycles to be one of the resultant effects of precession. But the separate Wikepedia entry on precession states that the Milankovitch Cycles are not directly attributable to precession. But then, there's a shed load of stuff that subsequent science has been able to disprove. Not to take anything away from the early pioneers of science though. Some of the discoveries made with such primitive equipment and minimal information blow me away!!

Exactly, the method of measuring the phenomena, the accuracy of the overall results and theories that have been forwarded as to what the results mean have moved along in leaps and bounds. People have always had to have the foresight to observe the skys, observe the planets, observe the seasons and to record their results in ways and with equipment that we can only just understand.

 

[Will]

Exactly, the method of measuring the phenomena, the accuracy of the overall results and theories that have been forwarded as to what the results mean have moved along in leaps and bounds. People have always had to have the foresight to observe the skys, observe the planets, observe the seasons and to record their results in ways and with equipment that we can only just understand.

Bang on! A classic example was Edmund Halley. Among other things, he studied comets, including the famous one named after him. From simply observing it he calculated its orbit and therefore its return. Sadly, he died in 1742, but return it did... in 1768 - exactly as he had predicted!

 

[AmericanThunder]

Is it spring yet?

 

[an88fiero]

Is it spring yet?

Lmao!!!!

 

[Will]

Is it spring yet?

Lol. Nope...sorry, still January