Use this sentence: Earth is closest to the sun in January when it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
How is this possible?
(1 point)
Responses
The sun is heating the Northern Hemisphere more in winter, but it takes awhile for it to heat up.
The sun is heating the Northern Hemisphere more in winter, but it takes awhile for it to heat up.
It heats up to a higher temperature during the day, but it still ends up colder because the days are shorter.
It heats up to a higher temperature during the day, but it still ends up colder because the days are shorter.
The angle at which the sun strikes Earth is more important than the distance.
The angle at which the sun strikes Earth is more important than the distance.
The sun is smaller during the winter months.
The sun is smaller during the winter months.
These are all incorrect explanations.
The correct explanation is that the Earth's elliptical orbit around the sun is not a perfect circle, it is slightly elliptical. This means that at certain points in its orbit, the Earth is closer to the sun, and at other points it is farther away. In January, the Earth is closest to the sun, but the tilt of Earth's axis is such that the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, leading to winter in that part of the world.