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Welcome to Alec's Page. On this page you will find historical concepts of the Earth's rotation, and details of the Earth's rotation around the Sun.

__**Earth's Rotation Around The Sun**__

Our Earth is constantly spinning, rotating around the Sun. The Earth spins eastward, which is why the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The Earth spins on an axis of 23.5 degrees, which points in the same direction relative to the stars so that the North Pole points to the star Polaris. The Earth spinns at a speed of just over 1000 mph. However, we do not feel this motion because we are moving as well. The Earth takes about 24 hours to complete one rotation. The Earth takes 1 year to complete one revolution around the Sun. Many people may have heard of the popular myth, the water goes down the drains differently in the northern hemisphere than in the southern hemisphere. However, this is not true. This effect can only be measured in careful laboratory conditions where even the slightest turbulence can disrupt the whole experiment. This effect could not be demonstrated in something a clumsy as water down the drain or flushing down the toilet. Now, if the Earth suddenly stopped spinning, the atmosphere would still be in motion with the Earth's original 1000 mile per hour rotation. That means that anything not attached to bedrock would be swept away into the atmosphere.

__**Historical Ideas Surrounding Earth's Rotation**__

__Ptolemy__

Ptolemy was one of the most influential greek astronomers and geographers of his time. He demolished the geometric theory, which prevailed for over 1,400 years. He purposed the ptolemaic theory which stated that the Earth was the center of the universe. The ptolemaic theory was accepted for the next 1500 years until Copernicus' heliocentric theory.

__Nicholas Copernicus__

Nicholas Copernicus was a Polish astronomer who lived between 1473-1543. Until his time, everyone believed the ptolemaic theory, which stated that the universe revolved around a stationary Earth. Unfortunately, this model was inadequate at predicting the positions of planets. In 1543 he created he new theory, which he named the heliocentric theory (helio meaning the sun god in greek). His theory stated that the Earth and other planets revolved around the Sun. This went against the Roman Catholic church, and he died before he could prove his theory.

__Heliocentric Theory__

The heliocentric theory states that the Sun is the center if the solar system, and that everything else revolves around it. This theory was presented by Nicholas Copernicus, and went against everything that the Roman Catholic church believed in. This idea can be witnessed in the apperance of stars during the Earth's yearly orbit around the sun. Copernicus was convinced that the Earth was a planet. Since he believed that the Earth was a planet, he thought it rotated like the other planets. The Earth, Moon, and other planets were believed to all rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around the Sun. This new theory was called heliocentric theory, or Sun-centered theory.

__**Citations**__

"Earth - Rotation." Ed. Sten Odenwald. 01 June 2009.

"The Earth's Rotation." __Windows To The Universe__. Ed. Randy Russell. 13 Jan. 2005. University of Michigan. 1 June 2009.

O'Connor, J. J., and E. F. Robertson. "Claudius Ptolemy." University of St.Andrews, Scotland. 1 June 2009.

"****heliocentric** system**." __Encyclopædia Britannica__. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 1 June 2009 <[]>.