At the north pole, the elevation of the Sun at midday, changes from 0 vernal equinox to From Nashville, the elevation of the Sun changes from 54 V. At the Tropic of Cancer, the elevation of the Sun changes from At the equator, the elevation of the Sun changes from 90 V. Question: How would the seasons be different if the Earth's obliquity were smaller?
If Earth's rotation axis were fixed in space, the seasons would be fixed in time, relative to an orbital period of the Earth around the Sun. But because of precession, the seasons move around the Earth's orbit. Imagine that the rate of precession is one cycle in 10 years.
Then in 5 years, the rotation axis has precessed degrees from its current position. Thus, if today June 21 is the first day of summer, then in 5 years June 21 would be the first day of winter.
The seasons would migrate around the calendar in 10 years and clearly the length of the seasonal year would be different from an orbital period. Ninety degrees south. While you've probably heard of the North and South poles , you may not be as familiar with the other circles of latitude. And while there aren't proper names for all of them, there are five major ones to know: the equator, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and the Arctic and Antarctic circles.
The Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer were delineated because they are both places within the hemisphere where it's possible for the sun to be directly overhead.
For ancient travelers who used the heavens to guide their way, these were crucial demarcation lines. Located at approximately The tropics account for about 36 percent of Earth, and about a third of the world's population lives in this area that includes the equator and parts of North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. During the summer solstice around June 21 , the sun is located immediately overhead the Tropic of Cancer, making it the farthest point north on Earth where the sun is located directly above at noon.
When the Tropic of Cancer was first named about 2, years ago , the sun was pointed in the direction of the constellation of Cancer during the June solstice. The name stuck, even though the location of the sun has shifted and now resides in the constellation of Taurus during that time of year.
Because there's a greater concentration of land in the Northern Hemisphere, the Tropic of Cancer passes through more cities than the Southern Hemisphere's Tropic of Capricorn. Sign up for our Newsletter!
Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. The Tropic of Capricorn is located at approximately This line of latitude is the southern boundary of the area referred to as the tropics.
This line marks the point farthest to the south at which the sun is hanging directly upward at noon. During the summer solstice of the Southern Hemisphere, the sun is located immediately above the Tropic of Capricorn. Since beginning her online writing career in , Ronni Dee has enjoyed sharing her life experiences through her work and educating her readers on what she has learned through these experiences. She has published numerous articles and short stories throughout her career on various websites.
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