Why does the sun seem brighter in the winter

Category: Earth Science Published: July 26, The sun does not get cold in the winter. The sun is a giant ball of fire driven by nuclear reactions. The surface of the sun stays at an incredibly hot temperature of about Kelvin all year long. The high temperature of the sun causes it to constantly emit prodigious amounts of thermal radiation in all directions, mostly in the form of infrared waves, visible light, and ultraviolet waves. This radiation spreads throughout our solar system and warms everything it hits.

Regions of earth are colder in the winter because the tilt of the earth causes the sunlight to be spread over a larger area and therefore be weaker per unit area in these regions. Some people think the earth gets colder in the winter because the earth is farther away from the sun, but this idea is wrong.

In fact, the earth is farthest from the sun in the northern hemisphere's summer, and not winter. But distance to the sun does not have much effect on the amount of sunlight the earth receives because the distance to the sun does not really change that much.

The earth is about ,, kilometers away from the sun. Over the course of a year, the distance from the earth to the sun changes by at most 5 million kilometers. Shadows are shorter in the summer because the sun strikes Earth more directly. During winter , the Northern Hemisphere leans away from the sun, there are fewer daylight hours, and the sun hits us at an angle; this makes it appear lower in the sky. Shadows are longer because of the lower angle of the sun. In equatorial regions, the length of days and the directness of sunlight don't change as much.

The further you get from the equator, the more dramatic the seasonal changes. During the spring and fall , the Earth leans neither toward nor away from the sun; daylight and nighttime hours are more equal and temperatures are moderate. The shadow of an object is similar during these seasons. Common Misconceptions Many students and adults believe that the Earth is closer to the Sun in the summer and further away in the winter.

Solstice vs. T he arrival of autumn brings low, slanting light and i t will continue to get brighter until the first week of January. Their will be no relief until later in the spring as the sun is lower in the sky hampering your vision while driving. Aside from wearing a quality pair of polarized sunglasses you will want to clean your windshield as well.

If you can notice the dirt and smudges on the windshield of the car ahead of you and you can then so too can the car behind you see your dirty windows. The position of the sun in the sky is constantly changing. It alters how we perceive color and light. During the summer solstice around June 21st, the sun is as far overhead as it gets. Thereafter the sun gets lower and lower becoming a driving hazard around mid-fall. As we progress to the winter solstice the sun will only get lower still, causing shorter days, bluer skies and an even brighter sun on the horizon.