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Sidereal Day
The Ecliptic
EarthSun Motion
The solar system speeds in the direction of the star Vega. The sun revolves around the galaxy. Earth is presently approaching one of its nearest galactic neighbors, the Great Galaxy in Andromeda.
2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Precession
Earth-Sun relationship
Earths Orientation
Seasonal changes occur because Earths position relative to the sun continually changes as it travels along its orbit.
EarthSun relations
Seasons
Result of
Changing Sun angle Changing length of daylight
Suns rays striking Earth at a low angle (toward the poles) than rays striking at a high angle (around the equator)
2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Notice also how the location of sunrise (east)and sunset (west) changes during a year
2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
The higher the angle, the more intense the solar radiation
2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
EarthSun relationships
EarthSun relations
Special days (Northern Hemisphere)
Summer solstice June 2122 Suns vertical rays are located at the tropic of Cancer (23 degrees north latitude) Winter solstice December 2122 Suns vertical rays are located at the tropic of Capricorn (23 degrees south latitude)
EarthSun relations
Special days (Northern Hemisphere)
Autumnal equinox September 2223 Suns vertical rays are located at the equator (0 degrees latitude) Spring equinox March 2122 Suns vertical rays are located at the equator (0 degrees latitude)
10
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
12 h 35 min
13 h 12 13h 56 14 h 52 16 h 18 18 h 27 24 h (for 2 month) 24 h (for 4 month) 24 h (for 6 month)
11 h 25 min
10 h 48 10 h 04 9 h 08 7 h 42 5 h 33 0.00 0.00 0.00
12 h
12 h 12 h 12 h 12 h 12 h 12 h 12 h 12 h
Summary
The seasonal variations in the amount of solar energy reaching places on Earths surface are caused by the migrating vertical rays of sun and the resulting variations in suns angle and length of daylight. These changes in turn, cause the month to month variations in temperature observed at most locations outside the tropics
2011 Pearson Education, Inc.