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Glossary term: Rotation

Description: La rotation est le mouvement d'un objet autour d'une ligne imaginaire, appelée axe de rotation. Lorsque l'objet tourne, chacune de ses parties conserve exactement la même distance par rapport à l'axe de rotation. En général, les étoiles (y compris le Soleil), les planètes, les lunes ou les astéroïdes tournent autour d'un axe fixe. La Terre tourne autour de son axe, qui est la ligne droite imaginaire passant par les pôles Nord et Sud de la Terre. La rotation de la Terre est à l'origine de la vue changeante du ciel nocturne que tout observateur se trouvant à la surface de la Terre verra, avec de nouvelles étoiles se levant continuellement le long de l'horizon oriental et se couchant le long de l'horizon occidental. Le fait que le Soleil semble se déplacer dans le ciel pendant la journée, se levant à l'est et se couchant à l'ouest, est également une conséquence de la rotation de la Terre.

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Term and definition status: The original definition of this term in English have been approved by a research astronomer and a teacher
The translation of this term and its definition is still awaiting approval

The OAE Multilingual Glossary is a project of the IAU Office of Astronomy for Education (OAE) in collaboration with the IAU Office of Astronomy Outreach (OAO). The terms and definitions were chosen, written and reviewed by a collective effort from the OAE, the OAE Centers and Nodes, the OAE National Astronomy Education Coordinators (NAECs) and other volunteers. You can find a full list of credits here. All glossary terms and their definitions are released under a Creative Commons CC BY-4.0 license and should be credited to "IAU OAE".

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The Big Dipper drifts lower towards the horizon on the left, on the right a comet rises in the sky.

Big Dipper and Comet Neowise C2020 F3

Caption: This time-lapse documents the trajectory of the iconic Big Dipper across three frames taken in July 2020. Captured from three locations in Italy, Tre Cime di Lavaredo Auronzo di Cadore, Monte Rite, Cibiana di Cadore, and Casera Razzo, Vigo di Cadore, this visual odyssey showcases the captivating journey of the Big Dipper with the addition of trails of stars painting a celestial canvas. It not only traces the path of this renowned asterism but also features the rare appearance of comet Neowise C/2020 F3, an extraordinary event that graced our skies during July 2020.
Credit: Giorgia Hofer/IAU OAE (CC BY 4.0)

License: CC-BY-4.0 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) icons

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