Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Astrobiology pp 1Cite as

Polar Axis

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

  • 226 Accesses

Synonyms

Rotational axis

Definition

The polar axis of a planet is its axis of rotation. It is perpendicular to the planet’s equatorial plane. The inclination of the Earth’s polar axis with respect to the plane of its orbit about the Sun is responsible for the phenomenon of seasonal variations. Telescopes with an equatorial mount have one axis, also called the polar axis, which is parallel to the Earth’s rotation axis. The slow (26,000 year period) conical motion of the Earth’s polar axis is responsible for the precession of the equinoxes.

See Also

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. LESIA, Observatoire Paris-Site de Meudon, 5 Pl Jules Janssen, 92195, Meudon, France

    Daniel Rouan

Authors
  1. Daniel Rouan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel Rouan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this entry

Cite this entry

Rouan, D. (2014). Polar Axis. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1244-2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1244-2

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation