What causes the sunlight to hit different latitude on earth at different angles

Answer 1

The main factors that cause sunlight to hit different latitudes on Earth at different angles are:

1. Earth's axial tilt: Earth has a tilt of approximately 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane around the sun. This tilt causes the sunlight to hit different latitudes at different angles throughout the year. During the summer solstice, when one hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, sunlight hits that hemisphere more directly, resulting in higher sun angles and longer daylight hours. During the winter solstice, the opposite hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, leading to lower sun angles and shorter daylight hours.

2. Earth's curvature: Earth is a sphere, and its curvature causes sunlight to hit different latitudes at different angles. Near the equator, sunlight strikes the surface almost directly, resulting in high sun angles. As one moves towards the poles, sunlight hits the surface at increasingly oblique angles, leading to lower sun angles.

3. Daily rotation: Earth rotates on its axis, causing the sun's position in the sky to change throughout the day. This rotation causes the sun to appear higher in the sky (higher sun angles) during midday and lower in the sky (lower sun angles) during sunrise and sunset.

These factors combined result in the variation of sunlight angles at different latitudes, which influences the distribution of heat and climate patterns on Earth.