UCSB Science Line
Sponge Spicules Nerve Cells Galaxy Abalone Shell Nickel Succinate X-ray Lens Lupine
UCSB Science Line
Home
How it Works
Ask a Question
Search Topics
Webcasts
Our Scientists
Science Links
Contact Information
How do the areas of sunlight in the two hemispheres change over the year?
Question Date: 2008-03-24
Answer 1:

The Earth spins on its axis but does not change direction of its axis as it revolves around the sun.This means that, for part of the year, the north pole is pointed away from the sun and so in perpetual shadow, while the south pole is pointed toward the sun, and thus in perpetual daylight. During the opposite time of the year, although the Earth's tilt hasn't changed, the position of the sun relative to the Earth has, so the situation is reversed. Away from the poles, the effects are less extreme, but nonetheless, the days are longer in the summer than in the winter and the sun is higher in the sky, and one hemisphere's summer is also the other's winter and vice-versa.


Answer 2:

From March to September, the northern hemisphere gets more light, and the southern hemisphere gets less.From September to March, it's the other way around.



Click Here to return to the search form.

University of California, Santa Barbara Materials Research Laboratory National Science Foundation
This program is co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation and UCSB School-University Partnerships
Copyright © 2020 The Regents of the University of California,
All Rights Reserved.
UCSB Terms of Use