In the first part of January the Earth approaches the sun and is closest to it during it's year long orbit. Scientists call this event the perihelion. It is true that in January the Sun sends 7% more intense sunlight toward the Northern Hemisphere, but the Northern part of the planet has more land, but is receiving indirect light. The Southern part of the planet has more water and that tends to lessen the 7% impact of the suns light because water absorbs heat better than land does. In the summer when the Earth is furthest from the sun, the sun light hits the Northern Hemisphere directly heating up the land for a longer period of time. (Longer days). In fact the continents warm up nicely as you can verify as you are more comfortable in shorts and t-shirts in the summer. If you look closely to this picture, an amateur photographer with special lenses took a picture from his home in the United Kingdom, using the same fixed position as the first photo. The sun looks a little bigger in December because it is closer to Earth than in the summer when it is slightly farther away. The seasonal patterns we experience are due to our tilt, the 23.5 degrees. When the days are short the land is cooler or cold. The air that moves around the Earth is heated and cooled as it travels over warm oceans and cooled land, causing clouds, storms, rainy seasons and deserts. Paying attention to the angles in the above diagram you can see that Africa is getting the most direct light from the sun. Down at the tip of Africa in the Southern Hemisphere the sun light is spread out and not as intense. The land at the tip of Africa is cooler, the climate is more comfortable, there are less desert areas and the waters are cold. There are a number of African penguins that make their home down there, along with seals and the largest great white sharks on the planet.
Our planet is a perfect place to live in the Solar System. Some scientists believe this was just luck...what do you believe? Was it just luck or was there a "higher" power that helped to create the Earth as it is? I'm curious to know your opinions.
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |