Solstice and equinox animation12/3/2023 Therefore, the solstices serve as the most extreme manifestations of the “midnight sun” and “polar night.”.The solstices represent the times when the sun is highest or lowest in the sky at the North and South Poles, respectively.The Arctic and Antarctica are never reached by the subsolar point. Every latitude in between these two extremes will be traversed by the subsolar point twice annually.The subsolar point then starts moving south, and on the December solstice, vertical rays fall on the Tropic of Capricorn, which is 23.5° south of the equator.On the June solstice, the Tropic of Cancer, which is 23.5° north of the equator, receives direct sunlight.The subsolar point travels to its northern and southernmost latitudes at the solstices.The subsolar point travels north and south over the tropics for the majority of the year before appearing at the Equator twice a year (around the equinoxes).It is the location where the sun is above at midday. The latitude where the sun’s rays strike Earth perfectly perpendicular to its surface is known as the subsolar point.As a result, areas near Earth’s Equator experience relatively constant sunlight and little solstice variation.Įarth’s solstices are largely marked by the transition of the subsolar point across the tropics.The Equator, at 0° latitude, receives a maximum intensity of the sun’s rays all year.The solstice marks the maximum point of dramatic exposure to daylight at the poles while scarcely being recognized near the equator. The solstices are felt differently depending on the latitude of Earth. Mars has dramatic seasonal fluctuations and its solstices are spaced around 11 months apart due to its greater orbital eccentricity and axial tilt. Mars, on the other hand, orbits the sun in an orbit that is noticeably more elliptical than Earth’s because of its substantially higher orbital eccentricity. Our other close neighbor, Mars, has a 24° axial tilt, which is identical to Earth’s.Its solstices are spaced by around three months thus, Venus suffers relatively little seasonal fluctuation. The axial tilt of Venus, the planet nearest to Earth, is barely 3°.The planet’s axial tilt, orbital eccentricity, and distance from the sun all have a significant role in determining the date and size of solstices. Solstices occur on every planet in our solar system. The December solstice is the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the summer solstice in the Southern.The June solstice is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.The winter solstice has the fewest daylight hours and is the shortest day of the year. The longest day of the year is the summer solstice when the sun is at its strongest and there are the most hours of daylight.This indicates that, depending on which hemisphere is inclined towards the sun during the year, it gets the sun’s rays at their strongest intensity.ĭespite having distinct dates in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the solstices are referred to as the “summer solstice” and the “winter solstice,” respectively. The Earth’s 23.5° axial tilt as it circles the sun causes solitons and varying solar declinations. Solar declination describes the latitude of Earth where the sun is directly overhead at noon. Solar declination is around 23.5°S (the Tropic of Capricorn) during the December solstice, which is observed between December 20 and December 23.The solar declination of the June solstice, which is observed between June 20 and June 22, is around 23.5°N (the Tropic of Cancer).The solar declination reaches the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the south at the solstices, which occur twice a year on Earth.Solar declination, the latitude of Earth where the sun is directly above at noon defines solstices on our planet.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |