Geo Quiz 1 - Earth and the Solar System

what does latitude measure, where is 0 degrees for latitude

distance north or south, the equator

what does longitude measure, where is 0 degrees for longitude

distance east or west, the Prime Meridian

what’s Syracuse’s longitude and latitude

43 degrees north, 76 degrees west

why does latitude influence climate more than longitude

latitude determines the suns direct radiation (insolation) in a specific area whereas longitude just marks a position close to the prime meridian

why does earth love faster at the equator and not at the poles

Earth moves faster at the equator because the equator is farther from Earth’s axis of rotation, so it travels a greater distance during one rotation. At the poles, Earth’s surface is closest to the axis, so it moves very little due to Earth’s rotation.

what keeps earth in orbit

gravity and inertia

how much percentage wise does the suns orbital path change a year

1.7 percent

what’s orbital eccentricity measure, is Mercury’s orbit more or less eccentric than earth’s?

measures how far an orbit is from circular, mercury’s is higher bc its less circular

why doesn’t distance from the sun cause seasons

bc seasons are caused by Earth’s axial tilt not how close it is to the sun, the tilt determines the angel and amount of sunlight received - Earth is closest to the sun during northern hemisphere winter

how does earth’s tilt cause seasons and does the direction of Earth’s tilt change as Earth orbits the sun?

the axis keeps the same direction throughout the year but because Earth orbits the sun it causes seasons

how does axial tilt change the suns height in the sky and the length of daylight

When a hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun, the Sun is higher in the sky and daylight lasts longer. When it is tilted away, the Sun is lower in the sky and daylight is shorter.

why does high sun deliver more energy per square meter of ground than low sun

a higher sun concentrates more energy, but a low sun spreads a beam wider

summer solstice

longest amount of sunlight, tilted toward the sun - Jun 21

winter solstice

shortest amount of daylight, tilted away from sun - December 21

March and September equinox?

measure spring and fall seasons

what defines the arctic circle and why can it have 24 hour daylight and still stay cold?

It stays cold because that sun sits so low in the sky that its energy smears across a huge patch of ground, and snow and ice reflect most of what does arrive straight back to space.

how do distance from the sun and the atmosphere explain different temperatures of planets

Distance from the Sun affects how much solar energy a planet receives, while the atmosphere affects how much heat is trapped.