RADIATION: Part 1

The Sun – Primary source of

radiation

Meteo 101: Introduction to Meteorology

March 5, 2021
This is the sun, not
the colossal titan :D Imagine you are Eren Jaeger, and on a
broad day, you are facing the sun. You
may notice how warm your face feels as
you stand facing the sun.

Sunlight travels
through the
surrounding air
with little effect
upon the air itself.

The energy transferred from the sun to your face is Your face, however,
called radiant energy, or radiation absorbs this energy
and converts it to
Radiation travels in the form of waves that release
energy when they are absorbed by an object. thermal energy.
Because these waves have magnetic and electrical Thus, sunlight warms
properties, we call them electromagnetic waves. your face without
Electromagnetic waves do not need molecules to actually warming
propagate them. In a vacuum, they travel at a constant the air.
speed of nearly 300,000 km per second—the speed
of light.
But before we discuss the Electromagnetic spectrum,
we need to understand first the mechanisms
happening in the universe, like how the Earth
rotates in its own axis and how it revolves around
the sun.
- Levi Ackerman

Chos! Ako lang may sabi nyan!

Orbit of the Earth
The earth-moon barycenter orbits
around the sun in an elliptical orbit
with period P = 365 days
The orbit is close to
circular, with an
eccentricity of only about
e = c/a = 0.0167 (a
circle has zero
eccentricity)
The Earth and the moon rotate with a period
of 27.32 days around their common center of
gravity, called the earth-moon barycenter.
Because the mass of the moon is only 1.23 % of
the mass of the earth, the barycenter is much
closer to the center of the earth. This barycenter
is 4671 km from the center of the earth (below
the earth’s surface)

Semi-minor axis: (half of

the shortest axis) its moon
length is b= 149.090 Gm Earth
b

sun v
APHELION PERIHELION
c a

Semi-major axis: (half of the

longest axis) its length is a=
149.457 Gm, which is the
definition of one astronomical unit
The center of the sun is at one of the foci of the ellipse, and (au).
half the distance between the two foci is c= 2.5 Gm
Orbit of the Earth Because the earth is rotating around the earth-moon
barycenter while this barycenter is revolving around the sun,
the location of the center of the earth traces a slightly
wiggy path as it orbits the sun. (Exaggerated illustration)

moon
Perihelion: The
Earth
closest distance
between the earth
b and the sun, a-c =
146.96 Gm. (Occurs
on January 3)
sun v
APHELION PERIHELION
Aphelion: The c a
farthest distance
between the earth TRUE ANOMALY: The
and the sun, a+c = angle at the sun
151.96 Gm. (Occurs between the
on July 4) perihelion and the
location of the earth-
moon barycenter

This angle increases during the year as

time t increases from the perihelion date
 NORTH POLE

After we discuss
the revolution, we
will now discuss
the rotating earth

CENTER OF SUN TO
CENTER OF EARTH

moon
Earth
b

sun v SOUTH POLE

c a
Seasonal Effects
Earth is slightly tilted in its own axis. And the NORTH POLE
tilt of the earth’s axis relative to the ecliptic is
Φ = 23.45° or 0.409 radians

This angle is equals to the latitude of the

tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere
(latitude is positive in the northern hemisphere)

This angle between the ecliptic and CENTER OF SUN TO

equator is defined as the SOLAR CENTER OF EARTH
DECLINATION ANGLE (δs)

Because the direction of tilt of the earth’s

axis is nearly constant with respect to the
fixed stars, the solar declination angle
varies from +23.45° on June 22 (summer
solstice in the north hemisphere) and
-23.45° on December 22 (winter solstice)
This angle is equals to the latitude of the
tropic of Capricorn in the Southern
Hemisphere
(latitude is negative in the northern hemisphere) SOUTH POLE
How to compute for Solar
Declination Angle

𝐶 (𝑑−𝑑𝑟)
δs = Φ * cos [ ]
𝑑𝑦

Where Φ = 23.45 °
d = Julian Day or the day of the year (example January 15 corresponds to d =15 and February 5 is d = 36 (31
days in January + 5 days in February)
dr = date of the Summer Solstice, June 22 dr = 173 (for non leap year)
dy = the number of days per year = 365 (For leap year, use 366)