Chapter 10: Understanding the Visual Data of Earth’s Ellipse and Axis Tilt

Most science educators are familiar with the infamous Private Universe video that shows Harvard graduates and professors answering questions about the orbital mechanics of Earth-Sun geometry of revolution and rotation, commonly known as the reasons for the seasons. Produced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (Schneps & Sadler, 1995), this pivotal research has been instrumental in spurring additional investigations that have led to deeper understandings about misconceptions in astronomy.

Matthew Schneps and Philip Sadler developed the Private Universe video series to explore student thinking. Placed in the context of a graduation ceremony at Harvard University, interviewers start by asking about the reason for seasonal changes on Earth; neither faculty nor students are generally able to provide correct explanations.