Homework Help: Astronomy

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 7:52pm.

Imagine that Earth did not turn on its axis.
(a) What would be true about the ecliptic?
It would now define the day rather than the year.
It would still be defined and could be seen from all points on Earth, but only when they faced the sun.
It would still be defined, but only from the side of Earth that always faced the sun.
It could no longer be defined.

Astronomy - drwls, Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 8:13pm
The ecliptic would remain the path that the sun follows among the stars due to the orbital motion of the earth. You cannot see all of it at once, and some stars along the ecliptic may be invisible duye to sunlight, but they are still there.

In a full year, all parts of the earth would eventually see (face) the sun, unless the Earth is tidally locked to rotate once per year, like the moon is by the earth, once a month.

All parts of the earth would eventually see all of the ecliptic during a year.

None of the choices are correct. Your teacher or homework-question-writer may be of a different opinion, and wrong.
Astronomy (correction) - drwls, Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 2:04am
This statement I made is not correct for a nonrotating earth:
"All parts of the earth would eventually see all of the ecliptic during a year."

I still do not agree with any of the choices. The ecliptic will still exist if the earth ceases to rotate. Any place on earth can see some of it, but not all of it, whether facing the sun or not.

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