GEOG 2050 Lecture : Geog Lecture 3
Document Summary
Planet earth: satellite of the sun, earth has a satellite too, we call it the moon, earth revolves around the sun. Orbit of the earth: average distance from the sun : 93 million miles, furthest distance from the sun : 94. 5 million miles (july 4) (aphelion, closest distance from the sun: 91. 5 million miles (jan 3) (perihelion) Rotation of the earth: ecliptic, circle of illumination, subsolar point, declination. Our sun: center of the solar system, sunspots, solar flares or prominences, solar wind, solar constant. Solar radiation to the earth is shortwave radiation. It is dissipated (energy is lost along the way) by the following process: scattering, reflection, absorption. It varies over the course of a day. It varies over the course of a year. Day length: longer days allows for a longer period of surface heating, longer nights leave less time for surface heating.
