How much sun does the equator get

These events are referred to as Equinoxes. The word equinox is derived from two Latin words - aequus equal and nox night. At the equator, the sun is directly overhead at noon on these two equinoxes.

The "nearly" equal hours of day and night is due to refraction of sunlight or a bending of the light's rays that causes the sun to appear above the horizon when the actual position of the sun is below the horizon. Additionally, the days become a little longer at the higher latitudes those at a distance from the equator because it takes the sun longer to rise and set.

Therefore, on the equinox and for several days before and after the equinox, the length of day will range from about 12 hours and six and one-half minutes at the equator, to 12 hours and 8 minutes at 30 degrees latitude, to 12 hours and 16 minutes at 60 degrees latitude. The summer solstice occurs at the moment the earth's tilt toward from the sun is at a maximum. Therefore, on the day of the summer solstice, the sun appears at its highest elevation with a noontime position that changes very little for several days before and after the summer solstice.

The summer solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, which is located at For every place north of the Tropic of Cancer, the sun is at its highest point in the sky and this is the longest day of the year. The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year.

In the Northern Hemisphere, it occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, which is located at For a complete listing of the dates of the winter and summer solstices and spring and fall equinoxes through , check out this site from the U. Naval Observatory. An alternative text link is found here.

Intermediate How do you measure the distance between Earth and the Sun? Intermediate Which planet is most similar to Earth? Beginner What is the difference between a "star" and a "sun"? Beginner Can artificial gravity be created in space? Intermediate Why do the planets orbit the sun? Beginner How do you measure the distance between Earth and the Sun? Intermediate At what speed does the Earth move around the Sun? Beginner How does the position of Moonrise and Moonset change? Intermediate Why is the moon in a different place every night?

Intermediate Are there telescopes that can see the flag and lunar rover on the Moon? Beginner Why do the planets orbit the sun? Beginner Is the Moon moving away from the Earth? When was this discovered? What's going to happen on December 21st ? Intermediate What color is each planet?

The length of daytime on earth varies from one point to another depending on the latitudes and seasons. Seasonal variation in the length of day at night occurs because the rotation axis of the earth is fixed compared to the stars axis and moves with respect to the sun when the earth revolves around the sun. Regions of the planet tilted towards the sun experience longer hours of daylight and summer.

Areas tilted away from the sun experience winter and shorter hours of daylight. The duration of daytime at the equator remains almost twelve hours throughout all seasons but varies at all the other latitudes.

Latitude and Longitude Any location on Earth is described by two numbers -- its latitude and its longitude. What is latitude? What is longitude? The Prime Meridian divides the Earth into the eastern and western hemisphere. How does latitude affect Day Length? Land of the Midnight Sun and Polar Winters where the sun never rises. Day length around the World Good dates to investigate are the Solistice , June 21st the longest day in the northern hemisphere and the shortest day in the southern hemisphere and December 21st the shortest day in the northern hemisphere and the longest in the southern.