 Southern Tier weather: Rain cools down hot spring day in Binghamton, NY area After several hot days in New York's Southern Tier region, rain moved into the area during the late afternoon hours. Meet the student asking the question: Name: Gage Buckland Grade: 2 School: Port Dickinson Elementary School, Chenango Valley Central School District Teacher: Mrs. Shelepak Hobbies: Video games, football Career interests: Police officer Meet the scientist: Answered by: Michael Jacobson Title: Research Development Specialist, Office of Strategic Research Initiatives, Division of Research, Binghamton University About Scientist: Research area: Archaeology, history, landscapes Interests/hobbies: Traveling, hiking, movies Question: Why are the days longer in summer and shorter in winter? Answer: This is a great question, Gage, and something our ancestors have marked in calendars and rituals for years. It may seem strange that when it is hot and sunny here in the summer, the days are shorter and colder in the southern half of the Earth. Just like when the winter is cold and dark here, the southern half of the planet is warm and sunny. This is because although we may think the Earth is straight up and down, it is actually tilted at an angle. As the Earth circles the Sun during the year, half of the Earth get more or less sunlight than the other half of the Earth. In the summer months, the northern half of the Earth, where we live, tilts towards the Sun. This means we get more sunlight, making the days longer. During the fall, the northern half tilts a little bit away from the Sun and the southern half faces a little more towards the Sun. That is why the days start to get shorter for us, but longer for the other half of the Earth. On December 21, the northern part of the Earth faces the Sun only a small amount. We get very little of the Sun’s rays that day, making it the shortest day of the year. We call that day the Winter Solstice. For those in the southern half of the Earth, it is the longest day of the year, since they get more of the Sun’s rays. After that day, the northern half of the Earth is open to more of the Sun’s rays each day, until the Summer Solstice on June 21. This is the opposite of the Winter Solstice, as it is the longest day of the year for us, but the shortest day of the year for those living in the southern half of the Earth. This cycle repeats every year and matches the seasons of summer, fall, winter and spring. The middle of the Earth, also called the Equator, is always at the same angle towards the Sun. If you lived there, you would not notice a change in daylight like you would in the northern or southern half of the Earth, since it always gets the same amount of sunlight. About Ask a Scientist Ask a Scientist runs every other Monday. Questions are answered by science experts at Binghamton University. Teachers in the Greater Binghamton area who wish to participate in the program are asked to write to Ask a Scientist, c/o Binghamton University, Office of Communications and Marketing, PO Box 6000, Binghamton, N.Y. 13902-6000, or e-mail . For more information, visit http://www.binghamton.edu/mpr/ask-a-scientist/. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) -The winter solstice marks the official start of winter in the northern Hemisphere which began Monday Dec. 21 at 4:02 a.m. Central time. It marks the shortest day and the longest night. This is due to earth rotating around the sun and the tilting of the earth on it’s axis. It takes the earth 365 days, a year to rotate around the sun. Meanwhile, it is also spinning on it’s axis which takes 24 hours. Earth is tiled 23.5 degrees, this means as it orbits the sun, it changes the way in which it faces it. When it is tilted away it is winter. During the winter, the sun’s rays hit the Earth at a shallow angle. The sun’s rays are more spread out, which decreases the amount of energy that hits any given spot. The long nights and short days prevent the Earth from warming up. This is why we have winter. On the other hand, in the summer, the sun’s rays hit the Earth at a steep angle. The light is more concentrated and does not spread out as much, thus increasing the amount of energy hitting any given spot. The long daylight hours allow the Earth plenty of time to reach warm temperatures. The solstice can occur anywhere between Dec. 20-23 and this year it is on the 21st. The winter solstice marks the minute the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. Earth is actually closest to the sun. The word solstice comes from Latin sol “sun” and sistere “to stand still.” On the 21st of December, the sun’s path reaches its southernmost position. While it starts to return north, it gives the appearance of standing still. Copyright 2020 WMC. All rights reserved.
The longest day of the year is around 21 June. There are about 16 hours between sunrise and sunset. During the shortest day, around 21 December, the sun shines less than 9 hours! These 2 extremes are called the summer solstice and the winter solstice. Between the 2, the days get shorter. They get longer little by little until the following summer solstice, and so on. But that’s true for countries in the northern hemisphere, like France, the USA or Japan. On the equator, the days and nights are the same length all year long. And at the poles, it’s dark 6 months in winter and light 6 months in summer! To understand, imagine the Earth facing the sun. As you know, it spins around on itself every 24 hours. That’s what makes night and day. If the Earth span perfectly straight, day and night would be the same everywhere: 12 hours. But the Earth is tilted over! That means days are longer in one hemisphere than the other. And as the Earth also goes around the Sun, the hemisphere that is lit up is not always the same throughout the year! That’s why, when it’s summer in the northern hemisphere, it’s winter in the southern hemisphere, and vice versa. So, if the days are getting longer where you live, they’re getting shorter elsewhere. That’s only fair! |
Why days are longer and nights are shorter?
Postagens relacionadas
direito autoral © 2024 comojogaruno Inc.
