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Earth: ideas and frameworks explained

A collection of ideas, frameworks and techniques related to Earth, explained clearly so they are easy to understand and share.

How to remember latitude and longitude on a world map, understand which is which, which is x or y, and how to read lat–long coordinates using an easy mnemonic: latitude is flat and longitude convergesLatitude and Longitude: How to Remember Which is WhichLooking back in time as we look to the stars: A visual explanation of how light from the Moon, Sun, stars, and galaxies shows us the past because light takes time to travel.Looking Back in Time: The Speed of Light and the Night SkyA map showing where Point Nemo lies - the furthest point from land with distances to the nearest land. This would be a long swimPoint Nemo: The Most Remote Place on Earth and the Spacecraft GraveyardThe Haversine Formula illustration: a portion of the earth's globe is shown with a green arc drawn between the cities of London, UK and Seattle, WA. The mathematical Haversine formula takes into account the curvature of the earth's surface when calculating the true distance between two points on a curved surface. The haversine formulaThe Tragedy of the Commons illustration: a cross-section of land shows a shared source of underground water being heavily used by one with access to it, leaving very little for everyone else. The tragedy of the commonsBeyond developing and developed world views: a world of 4 income levels from Sketchplanations, Factfulness and GapminderA world of 4 income levelsThe 3 Tallest Mountains illustration: on the left, Mount Everest is measured from sea level. In the centre, Mauna Kea is measured from its base (well below sea level) to its summit. On the right, Chimborazo is located near the equator where the earth bulges making its summit the furthest from the centre of the earth (and hence closest to the sun).The 3 tallest mountainsWhat causes seasons showing how it is caused by the earths tilt and light hitting differently in the north and south hemispheresSeasonsAntipodes illustration: the earth is shown as a sphere with an axis drawn straight through the centre. The example of an antipode shown is where the axis passes through Spain in the northern hemisphere and through New Zealand in the southern hemisphere. AntipodesWhat is the Goldilocks Zone: the range that supports life and distance from a star which supports liquid waterThe Goldilocks ZoneEarth is a big magnetEarth is a big magnet.Our atmosphere is as thick for the Earth as the skin on an appleOur atmosphere is as thick for the Earth as the skin on an apple

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