GEOG 2050 Chapter : Solar Energy To Earth And The Seasons
Document Summary
Distance: speed of light 300,000 kmps (kilometers per second) or. Solar energy: fusion, hydrogen atoms are forced together: pairs of hydrogen nuclei are fused forming helium; energy released. Solar wind and sunspots: sun constantly emitting electrically charged particles that move outward, solar wind, large magnetic storms occur, sunspots. Electromagnetic spectrum (ems: our eyes see wavelengths in the visible light portion of the spectrum. This is why we see things in different colors. Wavelength and frequency: a wavelength is the distance between corresponding points on two successive waves, the number of waves that pass a fixed point in 1 second is the frequency. The hotter an object is, the shorter the wavelengths are: the sun emits far shorter wavelengths than the earth. Solar constant: the sun is 93 millions miles away , -~1372 w/m^2, average, -total energy received at the top of the atmosphere (or thermopause) Subsolar point: the only point receiving insolation perpendicular to the surface (directly overhead)
