Longitude And Latitude

Aim: How do we use latitude and longitude to locate places on Ear th? The most important notes are in RED.

Mr. Lapsley Earth Science Created by: Mr. Brandt – High School of Graphic Communication Arts

DO NOW—Describe the Locations of Points A, B, C & D.

I. INTRO  To map locations on Earth, we use the LATITUDE/LONGITUDE system.  Latitude and longitude are measured in DEGREES (o). Each degree is made of 60 MINUTES(’).

II. LATITUDE

 Latitude: the distance north (N) or south (S) of the Equator.  The Equator = 0o latitude. It is exactly halfway between the North and South Poles.  North Pole = 90oN latitude  South Pole is 90oS latitude.

II. LATITUDE (pt. 2)  Increasing latitude means going away from the equator. Decreasing latitude means going toward the equator.  Except for the equator, all latitudes must have a “N” for North or an “S” for South.

III. LONGITUDE  Longitude: the distance east (E) or west (W) of the Prime Meridian.  Prime Meridian = 0o longitude  International Date Line = 180o longitude  The INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE is where each new day starts!

 Longitude lines connect the North Pole with the South Pole. (The Prime Meridian and International Date Lines are connected at the Poles!)

III. LONGITUDE  Increasing longitude means you are moving away from the Prime Meridian. Decreasing longitude means you are moving toward the Prime Meridian.  Except for the Prime Meridian and the 180o meridian, all lines of longitude MUST have an E for east or a W for west.

LATITUDE VS. LONGITUDE

Let’s Practice!

IV. FINDING LATITUDE  ALTITUDE: the angle between the horizon and any object in the sky.  Altitude can be from 0o-90o.

 The LATITUDE of any location in the Northern Hemisphere = the ALTITUDE of the star Polaris at that location.  This is why Polaris is also called the North Star

POLARIS If you watch POLARIS all night, it will seem to stay in the same place while the other stars seem to revolve around it. This is because Earth’s North Pole points directly at Polaris as Earth rotates!

V. LONGITUDE & TIME ZONES o o

 Earth has 360 total longitude. (180 E + 180oW)  Earth spins once every 24 hours.  From this info, figure out: What is Earth’s rate of spin, (in degrees longitude/hour)?

 Earth spins at a rate of 15 o/hr  Going west, every 15o of longitude is one hour earlier.

TIME ZONES