Transcript Solar Energy and Latitude

Do Now
• On the Maps:
Special Names on a Globe
–Locate the Prime Meridian,
Equator, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of
Capricorn, Artic Circle, Antarctic
Circle
–Locate the Continents, Oceans, and
Poles on each map Hemispheres map
Artic Circle
Tropic of Cancer
Equator
Tropic of Capricorn
Prime Meridian
Antarctic Circle
Crash Course on
the Solar System
Basics you know!!!
• Space is filled with stars, stars create
clusters called galaxies
• We live in Milky Way galaxy
• In the Milky Way there are planets and
moons
• Moons orbit a planet
• The sun and its planets are called the
solar system
Rotation, Revolution, and Tilt
• Most of Earth’s energy comes from the
sun (Solar Energy). There are three
relationships b/w the Earth and Sun
that control the amount of solar energy
• Rotation, Revolution, and Tilt
Rotation
• Imagine the Earth on a
stick
– This is the Earth’s axis
• One complete spin is the
rotation- takes 24 hours
• Rotates in a west to east
direction
– Sun rises in the east and
sets in the west
• Creates day and night
Revolution
• Goes around the Sun-takes 365 ¼ days
• Creates 1 year
• Leap Year- To account for the ¼ day every
four years there is a February 29.
Tilt
• The Earth is tilted on
its axis
• Axis points toward the
same spot in the sky
• North Pole points
toward the North Star
• Tilt affects the
amount of solar energy
that different places
receive during the year
Solar Energy and Latitude
• Different places get different amounts of
solar energy
• Places around the equator receive a lot of
solar energy (that’s why it is warm there)
– These places near the equator are called tropics
• Places around the North and South Poles
receive very little solar energy (hence it’s
cold)
– These places near the poles are called polar regions
• Places between the tropics and polar regions
are called the middle latitudes. Can be both
warm and cold
• The amount of solar energy that a place gets
relates to the angle at which the Sun’s rays
strike Earth
• When North Pole points toward the sun, direct
rays strike Northern Hemisphere, temperatures
are warmer and days are longer
When the North Pole
points away from the
Sun, the most direct
rays strike the
Southern
Hemisphere, the S.H.
is warmer and days
are longer
Seasons- Times of lesser and
greater heat
• Summer- Sun’s energy is the
strongest, days are longer
• Winter- Sun’s energy is weaker, days
are shorter
• Spring and Fall- Sun’s energy is more
evenly distributed, days and night are
closer in length
• Lets see why this is true……….
Solstices
• Happens twice a
year
• Earth’s poles tilt
toward or away
from the Sun at
their greatest
angle
• December 21 and
June 21
•
•
•
•
Northern Hemisphere
Fewest Daylight hours
First day of winter
North Pole constant
darkness
• Southern Hemisphere
• Greatest Daylight
hours
• First day of summer
• South Pole gets
constant sunlight
Equinoxes
• Happens twice a year
• Earth’s poles are not
pointed toward or away
from the Sun
• Direct rays of the Sun
strike the equator
• Both hemispheres receive
an equal amount of sunlight
• March 21 and September
22
• Northern
Hemisphere
• Beginning of Spring
• Southern
Hemisphere
• Beginning of Fall
The Earth System
• Complex system where the parts of
Earth interact with one another to form
the whole
• Viewable as separate but interact
constantly
• Divided into four major parts:
– Atmosphere
– Lithosphere
– Hydrosphere
– Biosphere
• Atmosphere:
– Gases around Earth
– Gravity holds atmosphere around planet
– 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen
– These gases sustain life on Earth and protect the
planet from Sun’s radiation
Lithosphere
– Solid crust of the planet
– Rocks and Soils
– Forms the continents, islands, and ocean floors
Hydrosphere
– Earth’s water
– 70% of the Earth’s surface
– Liquid (oceans) , solid (ice) , and gas forms
– Essential to all organisms
Biosphere
– All life forms- plants and animals
– Overlaps the other spheres
• Spheres are interconnected and each affects the
other!
– Example: the hydrosphere provides water for all organisms
and the hydrosphere also breaks down the lithosphere
(rocks and soils) when it rains.