EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Our amount of daylight hours depends on our latitude and how Earth orbits the sun. Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted from its orbital plane and always points in the same direction-toward the North Star.

Detailed explanation-2: -This is because the Earth’s imaginary axis isn’t straight up and down, it is tilted 23.5 degrees. The Earth’s movement around this axis causes the change between day and night. During summer in the Northern Hemisphere, daylight hours increase the farther north you go.

Detailed explanation-3: -Angle of Solar Radiation and Temperature The angle of incoming solar radiation influences seasonal temperatures of locations at different latitudes. When the sun’s rays strike Earth’s surface near the equator, the incoming solar radiation is more direct (nearly perpendicular or closer to a 90˚ angle).

Detailed explanation-4: -Latitude is the most important climatic control, due to the effect is has on the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface. The seasonal changes in incoming solar radiation, as well as the length of the day, vary with latitude.

Detailed explanation-5: -That is also why, on average, areas near the equator receive the greatest intensity of sunlight and are the warmest. Because the planet is spherical, areas near the equator are most perpendicular to incoming sunlight. At higher latitudes, toward the poles, sunlight is spread over a larger area and is less intense.