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Earth’s average distance from the sun
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aapproximately 150 million km (93 million mi)
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Perihelion:
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earth’s closest position to the sun, occurs
during the Northern Hemisphere winter (January 3)
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Aphelion:
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earth’s farthest position from the sun, occurs
during the Northern Hemisphere summer (July 4)
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Insolation:
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Solar radiation that reaches a horizontal plane at earth (incoming solar radiation);
applies specifically to radiation arriving at earth’s atmosphere and surface
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Earth’s curved surface presents a continually varying angle to the
incoming parallel rays of insolation; differences in angle of solar rays at
each latitude result in
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An uneven distribution of insolation and heating
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Subsolar point:
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oonly point receiving insolation perpendicular to
the surface (from directly overhead), during the year this point occurs at
lower latitudes between the tropics where energy received is more concentrated
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All other places away from solar point receive _______ at an angle less than _____ and thus experience more diffuse energy
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Insolation, 90 degrees
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Declination:
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The latitude of the subsolar point; annually migrates through 47° latitude, moving between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn
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Daylength:
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The interval between sunrise and sunset; the duration of exposure to
insolation, which varies during the year depending on latitude
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Top of our atmosphere is
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around 480 km (300 mi) above earth’s surface,
beyond that altitude is the exosphere
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Latitude:
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The angular distance measured north and south of the equator from a point
at the center of Earth
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Longitude:
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aangular distance measured east and west of a
prime meridian
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Parallel:
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A line, parallel to the equator, that designates an angle of latitude
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Meridian
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A line designating an angle of latitude
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Wavelength:
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The distance between corresponding points on any two successive waves
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