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Summary of Astrophysics igcse physics topic latest update 2023/2025
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Unit 6Space Physics
, Unit 6: Space Physics
A) Earth & the Solar System :
1) The Earth:
Day & Night:
These are caused by the Earth spinning on its axis (i.e.
about the line through its north and south poles).
It makes one complete revolution every 24 hours.
This creates day for the half of the Earth’s surface
facing the Sun and night for the other half, facing away from Sun.
Scan this code to watch a video:
Rising & setting of the Sun:
The Earth’s rotation on its axis causes the Sun to have
an apparent daily journey from east to west.
The Sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the
west only at the equinoxes (around 20 March and
23 September).
In the northern hemisphere in summer it rises north of
east and sets north of west.
In the northern hemisphere in winter it rises south of east and sets south of west.
Each day the Sun is highest above the horizon at noon and directly
due south in the northern hemisphere; this height itself is greatest
and the daylight hours longest about 21 June.
After that the Sun’s height slowly decreases and near 21 December
it is lowest and the number of daylight hours is smallest.
Scan this code to watch a video:
Unit 6: Space physics – IGCSE Physics 0972 – Dr. Eman Salama Page 1
, The seasons:
Two factors are responsible for the seasons:
1) The motion of the Earth around the Sun once
in approximately 365 days (i.e. in one year).
2) The tilt (23.5°) of the Earth’s axis to the plane
of its path around the Sun.
This figure shows the tilted Earth in four different
positions of its orbit
Over part BCD of the Earth’s orbit, the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun so that the
hours of daylight are greater than those of darkness, i.e. it is spring and summer.
The southern hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun and has shorter days than nights so it is
autumn and winter there.
The northern hemisphere receives more solar radiation (the Sun high in the sky) and so the
weather is warmer.
Over part FGH of the orbit, the situation is reversed. The southern hemisphere is tilted towards
the Sun, while the northern hemisphere is tilted away from it, and experiences autumn and winter.
At C, around 21 June, the northern hemisphere has its longest day while the southern hemisphere
has its shortest day.
At G, around 21 December, the opposite is true.
At A and E of the orbit, night and day are equal in both hemispheres; these are the equinoxes,
which often fall on 20 March and 23 September.
Scan this code to watch a video:
Unit 6: Space physics – IGCSE Physics 0972 – Dr. Eman Salama Page 2
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