Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Earth is as far away from the sun as it ever gets. So why is it so hot?
The Earth's distance from the Sun varies due to its elliptical orbit.
The closest point, perihelion, occurs between January 3rd and 4th, and the
farthest point, aphelion, occurs around July 3rd to 6th, which
are winter and summer in the northern hemisphere, respectively. So, why does the
northern hemisphere experience summer when the Earth is the farthest from the
sun? As for the distance, the Earth is 3.3% closer to the sun than at the
average at perihelion and farther at aphelion. You may think the difference in
distance is substantial enough for the sun to warm or cool the Earth. However,
there is a more influential factor than the distance for Earth’s temperatures. Since
the Earth spins at a 23.5-degree angle, different parts of the globe get more
direct sunlight or less depending on the time of year. That’s why places around
23.5 degrees north latitude, such as India, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico,
are heated the most in summer. Unfortunately, human-caused global warming seems
to affect the planet even more than the Earth’s tilt for orbit or the distance
from the sun.
Read the article and learn about how the distance and angle of our
planet affect the temperatures around the world.
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