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Chapter 2: Problem 20

How does the daily path of the Sun across the sky change with the seasons? Why does it change?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The path of the sun changes across the sky with the seasons due to the tilt of the Earth's axis. In summer, when either of Earth's poles is tilted towards the sun, we have longer daylight hours as the Sun appears higher and is in the sky for a longer path, while in winter, when the earth is tilted away from the sun, the Sun seems lower and its path is shorter causing shorter daylight hours.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Sun's daily path

We know that the Sun appears to move across the sky during the day. If we were to observe this motion from dawn to dusk, the path the Sun takes across the sky is known as its daily path. This apparent path changes with the seasons, due to the tilt in the Earth鈥檚 axis.
02

Discussing changes during summer and winter

In the summer, the North or South Pole of Earth is tilted towards the Sun, depending on whether it's the northern or southern hemisphere. Thus, the sun appears to be higher in the sky and its path is longer, leading to longer days and shorter nights. In contrast, during winter, the pole is tilted away from the Sun, making the Sun appear lower in the sky. The daily path is shorter, leading to shorter days and longer nights.
03

Explaining the reasons for change in Sun's path

The reason for the change in the Sun's path is due to the tilt of the Earth's axis. The Earth鈥檚 axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees with respect to its orbit around the Sun. As Earth orbits the Sun, this tilt means the angle at which sunlight hits different parts of Earth changes over the course of a year, thereby altering the apparent position of the Sun in the sky and leading to changes in the duration of daylight.

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