Transcript Matariki & The Seasons Level 1-3

The World Around Us
Seasons
Season names
We have 4 seasons on the Earth.
Summer:
Raumati
Autumn:
Ngahuru
Dec, Jan, Feb
Mar, Apr, May
Spring:
Koanga
Winter:
Takarua
Sept, Oct, Nov
Jun, Jul, Aug
What is each season like?
In Summer /Raumati we have long days
(Te Ra) and short nights (Po).
The Sun appears high in the sky during the
day and the days are usually hot.
As we move to Autumn /Ngahuru the days
get shorter and the nights get longer.
The temperature is also getting cooler.
In Winter /Takarua we have the longest nights and
shortest days. The Sun appears low in the sky and it
is cold during the day.
The days are getting longer in Spring /Koanga and
nights become shorter. It is becoming warmer.
But… how and why
do we get seasons?
Earth’s orbit and sun angle
The Earth is not perpendicular to its axis.
It is on a tilt of 23 degrees.
Because of this tilt, for roughly half of the year the Southern Hemisphere
tips slightly towards the Sun. At the same time the Northern Hemisphere is
tilted slightly away from the Sun. For the second half of the year, the
opposite happens and the Southern Hemisphere tilts away and
the Northern Hemisphere tilts towards the Sun.
Also….
The Southern Hemisphere gets concentrated sun rays when it is tilted
towards the Sun so then we have hotter days. This is Summer. The Northern
Hemisphere will get the sun rays spread out as they are tilted away from the
Sun so they will be having Winter.
In Winter, the Southern Hemisphere the sun rays are spread out as it is tilted
away from the sun.
Yearly cycles
1 Earth year is 365.25 days. The Earth takes one year to
make a full orbit of the Sun. Ever four years we include an
extra day to make a leap year.
What events only
happen once a year?
There are certain signs or markers
in the sky that tell us when the
seasons are changing. Spotting
the Matariki cluster in the morning
sky before the Sun rises is one of
these signs. Orion is known as our
summer constellation whilst
Scorpius is known as our Winter
sign.
The Matariki star cluster is also
known as the Pleiades, Seven
Sisters or Subaru among other
names.
New Year
Matariki heralds the start the Māori New Year for Māori.
When Matariki rises just before the Sun in early June,
the Māori New year begins. Some iwi believe the New
Year starts at the next full moon or the next new moon.
Other cultures will have different
New Year dates. The most common
New Year date is the 1st of
January. Chinese New Year starts
in the first week of February.
Each culture will celebrate in their
own way, with dancing, music and
parties.
Why would cultures use the stars to
guide them through the year?
Seasonal Shadow Changes
Our shadows will change through
the year and through the day.
During Winter, at midday the
shadow cast by you will be long.
During Summer, at midday a shadow
cast by you will be short.
During Winter, the Sun is low in the
sky, so when the light hits an object
the object will have a long shadow.
In Summer, the Sun is high in the sky
so produces short shadows.
Go and use our Sundial of Human Involvement
outside. It uses your shadow to tell the time!
Why would this sundial only work in New Zealand?