EARTH’S TILT
How many degrees is Earth tilted?
23.5°
Direct sunlight means the Sun’s rays hit Earth at what kind of angle—high or low?
High angle
What happens to day length in summer—longer days or shorter days?
Longer days
What date marks the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere?
Around December 21
If it’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere, what season is it in the Southern Hemisphere?
Winter
How did the Earth become tilted at 23.5 degrees?
Collision with Theia - which also produced the Moon. Occurred 4.4 billion years ago.
Does direct sunlight spread energy out over a large or small surface area?
Small surface area
What happens to day length during winter?
Days get shorter
Which solstice has the fewest daylight hours?
Winter solstice
True or False: Seasons happen because Earth is closer to the Sun in summer.
False
Which hemisphere receives more direct sunlight during its summer?
Northern hemisphere (tilted towards the sun)
Which warms the surface more: direct or indirect sunlight?
Direct sunlight
On which two days do we experience equal day and night?
The equinoxes (spring and fall)
What happens to Earth's tilt during an equinox?
Neither hemisphere is tilted toward or away from the Sun
Why is the equator warm all year even though Earth is tilted?
It always receives high-angle sunlight
During winter, is the northern hemisphere tilted toward or away from the Sun?
Away from the Sun
If the Sun is low in the sky, what type of sunlight do we receive?
Indirect sunlight
Hours of daylight for Jacksonville FL at the Summer Solstice?
14 hours and 16 minutes.
On which date is the Sun directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer?
Summer Solstice (June 21)
How many more billions of years will the sun last in its current state?
In approximately 5 billion years, the Sun will exhaust its core hydrogen and enter a dramatic red giant phase, expanding so massively that it may consume Mercury, Venus, and possibly Earth.
Why doesn’t the tilt “switch directions” as Earth moves around the Sun?
Because Earth’s axis maintains a constant orientation in space (parallelism of axis)
Why do indirect rays result in cooler temperatures?
The energy is spread out, reducing heating per unit area
Hours of daylight for Jacksonville at the Winter Solstice?
10 hours and 7 minutes.
On which date is the Sun directly overhead at the equator?
Equinoxes (March 21 and September 23)
How long does it take the Sun's energy to travel 93 millions miles to Earth?
8 minutes (speed of light)