Is the reason why winter is colder than summer similar to the fact why pole is colder than equator?
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answers:
Ronald 7 say: Yes
Only more extreme at the Poles
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oldprof say: Similar in that it has to do with the angle at which the Sun's rays impact the Earth. At the equator, the Sun's rays hit the planet head on. So the Earth gets the full impact of the Sun's energy at the equator.
At the two poles, the Sun's rays skim over the planet. So the Earth gets only a portion of the Sun's energy at either pole.
But how big that portion is at either pole depends on the tilt of the Earth. When the north pole is tilted towards the Sun, a bigger portion of the energy is received during summer than in the winter when the north pole is tilted away from the Sun.
In fact, when either pole is tilted away from the Sun, none of the Sun's energy is received there. It is dark for 24 hours a day during winter at the poles when they are tilted away from the Sun. And that's why they are really really cold in the winter at the poles.
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The Oracle of Omigod say: The North Pole and South Pole are not exactly vertical vs. the sun. The Earth goes around the Sun once a year, so half the year the North pole is pointed away from the Sun which means shorter days in the North part and longer days in the South half of the Earth.
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quantumclaustrophobe say: Yes.
During winter, the sun's at a more oblique angle, lower in the sky - so the light is much less direct than in the summer. Couple with that, the time the sun is above the horizon is less, so you're getting less heat, for a shorter time.
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Joe say: Not directly.
The simplest reason I can provide is that the days are shorter and the nights are longer in the winter. Less time to absorb the sun's rays during the day, and more time to re-radiate solar energy at night.
(Why does the length of the day change? Because the Earth is tilted on its axis.)
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rick29148 say: yes, depends on your position in the sun light ............................
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Acetek say: yes
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