Science · 6 pages · 12 min
How latitude changes the path of the sun
Latitude sets how high the Sun's arc climbs and how day length swings through the year.
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From the opening
Latitude changes the Sun's path because your place on the globe decides the angle between the overhead point and the Sun's track. Near the equator the daily arc climbs high and stays close to twelve hours, while toward a pole the arc sits lower and the length of the day swings wildly with the seasons. The opening covers how high the daily arc climbs, why day length swings more poleward, and tropics and polar circles.
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Inside
- How high the daily arc climbs
- Why day length swings more poleward
- Tropics and polar circles
- Longitude changes the clock only
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Solar declination and the observer's latitude
- The tropics and the polar circles set by axial tilt