how does latitude affect hours of daylight per month over the course of a year

by Grant Steuber 6 min read

As this orientation changes throughout the year, so does the distribution of sunlight on Earth’s surface at any given latitude. This tilting leads to a variation of solar energy that changes with latitude. This causes a seasonal variation in the intensity of sunlight reaching the surface and the number of hours of daylight.

Full Answer

How does the amount of daylight hours depend on latitude?

(You get a bonus hour of daylight because the sun’s rays are refracted above the horizon for a short time before the sun rises and after the sun sets.) However, if you live farther north or south, you’ll find that your days are a lot longer in summer and a lot shorter in winter. That’s because latitude affects the time of sunset and sunrise.

Does latitude affect the occurrence of day and night?

They used this formula to calculate daylight hours. Because the angle of radiation varies depending on the latitude, surface temperatures on average are warmer at lower latitudes and cooler at higher latitudes (even though higher latitudes have more hours of daylight during the summer months). Latitude: 0° -90 90.

How does the number of daylight hours change during the winter?

Everywhere in the world regardless of latitude gets the same number of hours of daylight over the course of a year. However how they get it is another matter. For instance the poles get 6 months of daylight and 6 months of darkness 1 big chunk 1/2 a year long. whereas in the tropics it varies a little but stays pretty close to 12 hrs of daylight and 12 hrs of darkness year round.

Why does the intensity of sunlight vary with time of year?

Oct 19, 2014 · At higher latitudes the length of day changes quite noticeably in early January and mid-November. In some situations two adjacent days are different in length by nearly five minutes, and at some points the day loses nearly fourty minutes over the course of a single week.

How does latitude affect the number of daylight hours?

At latitude 0° (the Equator) day length will be approximately 12 hours. Areas on the Equator have a constant 12 hours of day light all year round. As latitude increases to 80° (polar circles - north or south) day length can be seen to increase to 24 hours or decrease to zero (depending on time of year).

Why does latitude affect how the amount of daylight changes throughout a year?

Sometimes the axis points toward the sun and other times away from the sun. As this orientation changes throughout the year, so does the distribution of sunlight on Earth's surface at any given latitude. This tilting leads to a variation of solar energy that changes with latitude.Oct 28, 2013

How do daylight hours change throughout the year?

Seasonal variations in where the Sun rises and sets and changes in the length of daylight hours throughout the year are caused by the constant tilt and orientation of the Earth's axis in relation to the plane of its orbit around the Sun (23.5 degrees from the vertical, the North Pole pointing towards the star Polaris ...

Why do the hours of daylight vary with latitude?

The axis of the Earth's rotation is not perpendicular to the plane of its orbit around the Sun (which is parallel with the direction of sunlight), and so the length of the daytime period varies from one point on the planet to another.

How does latitude affect sunrise and sunset times?

As latitude increases, sunrises occur later. The pattern of the chart shows that as one goes north, the delay become greater and greater. For example, the difference between 30¡ and 40¡ is about 7¡ longitude. The difference between 40¡ and 50¡ is about 9¡ longitude.

How does longitude and latitude affect time zones?

The standard practice is to establish a time zone for each 15° of longitude. This makes a difference of exactly 1 hour between each zone. In the conterminous United States, there are four time zones. The time zones are Eastern (75°), Central (90°), Mountain (105°), and Pacific (120°).

What is the relationship between daylight hours and season?

There is a direct relationship between seasons and the number of daylight hours. During the spring and summer, longer days mean more daylight hours because of the Sun's tilt and position; during the winter, the days are shorter.

Does daylight vary by latitude?

The length of daylight varies by latitude and by time of year. At 30° N. latitude, for example, daylight is 14 hours long in June and 10 hours long in December. At 60° N.

How do sunrise times sunset times and hours of daylight change over the course of the year?

The combination of Earth's elliptical orbit and the tilt of its axis results in the Sun taking different paths across the sky at slightly different speeds each day. This gives us different sunrise and sunset times each day.

What affects the length of daytime?

The changing lengths of days and nights depends on where you are on Earth and the time of year. Also, daylight hours are affected by the tilt of the Earth's axis and its path around the sun.Mar 9, 2018

Why would the rate of change of day length be greater for higher latitudes?

The rate of change of day length would certainly be greater for higher latitudes because you have a greater change of daylength at higher latitudes in the same period of time. As has been said above, the greater slope of the line would indicate the rate of change of daylength.

Does the Earth's rotation affect the length of the solar day?

This is Keplers Laws. This change in revolution will affect the length of the solar day but not the sidereal day.

How does the length of a day change?

As the Earth moves around the Sun, the length of the day (defined as the time between sunrise and sunset) changes. The extent to which it changes depends on latitude, as shown in the graph below: As you can see, the length of a day changes far more during the year at higher latitudes than at lower latitudes.

What does the greater slope of the line indicate?

As has been said above, the greater slope of the line would indicate the rate of change of daylength. Another factor involved is the earth’s revolution. The earth is revolving around the sun at the same time it is rotating on it’s axis.

Does latitude affect the poles?

For a layman, yes it affects. Latitude near equator its hotter, and at poles its colder. Also the period of twilight at equator is shorter whereas up towards the poles it gets longer and at poles its eternal twilight too!!! (i bet you didn’t know that).

How does the tilt of Earth's axis affect the amount of sunlight?

The tilt of Earth’s axis causes different areas to receive different amounts of sunlight during one rotation. The greatest difference in duration of day and night is at the poles, where the amount of daylight can range from zero to twenty-four hours, depending on the time of the year. As you move from the poles to the Equator, ...

How long is daylight at the poles?

The greatest difference in duration of day and night is at the poles, where the amount of daylight can range from zero to twenty-four hours, depending on the time of the year. As you move from the poles to the Equator, the change in the amount of sunlight from season to season decreases.

Is it easier to share the same time zone?

So, it is easier for the city to share the same time zone. This holds true for most states and most smaller countries as well. In fact, the vast majority of countries are just one time zone. I think there are only 12 countries in the world which span more than one time zone (e.g. USA, Canada, Russia, and others).

Is Alaska in one time zone?

And at the U.S. state level, there are similar oddities as well. The Alaskan mainland is all one time zone despite the Alaska panhandle being over 2000 km east of the Alaska Peninsula. I guess the Alaskans prefer to share the same time rather than splitting up to better match the solar day.

How much is the Earth's axis tilted off the plane of the Sun?

Earth's axis is tilted 23.50° off the plane of. Continue Reading.

How does air temperature change during the day?

During the day, the air temperature increases as energy received exceeds the energy reflected from Earth's surface. During the night, the air temperature decreases as Earth's loses more energy than it receives. That’s how air temperatures at Earth's surface are controlled.

How does latitude affect the length of a day?

The Impact of Latitude on the Length of a Day. People have long noted that the farther away they move from the equator, the greater the variation is between the time of sunrise and sunset. Many people believe that this variation has been used to figure out the latitude of a given location, and it is probable that ancient mariners used this ...

What is the difference between periods of light and darkness?

This also means that the farther toward the top or bottom of the ball a point is, the greater the difference will be between periods of light and periods of darkness. A point on the middle of the ball will have equal periods of light and darkness while the top and bottom of the ball will be in near darkness all the time.

What is the latitude of the equator?

The latitude is a reference to how far north or south of the equator a person or location is, on the surface of the earth. Thus, the equator is denoted as 0 degrees north or south. The north pole would be 90 degrees north, while the south pole is 90 degrees south.

Is the equator 0 degrees north or south?

Thus, the equator is denoted as 0 degrees north or south. The north pole would be 90 degrees north, while the south pole is 90 degrees south. Between the two, latitudes can be thought of as imaginary circles around the sphere of the earth. This is over-simplified, however it is important in understanding what the latitude has to do with sunrise ...

What is the difference between the north and south poles?

The north pole would be 90 degrees north, while the south pole is 90 degrees south. Between the two, latitudes can be thought of as imaginary circles around the sphere of the earth. This is over-simplified, however it is important in understanding what the latitude has to do with sunrise and sunset. The earth revolves on its axis, an imaginary line ...

How does the Earth revolve?

The earth revolves on its axis, an imaginary line passing through both the north and south poles, once per day. It is this that gives the appearance of a sunrise or sunset. This can be visualized by shining a light on a rotating ball, where a point on the ball passes alternately from light to darkness to light again.

What happens when the light is shining on the midpoint of the ball?

It can also be seen that if the light is shining directly on the midpoint of the ball, the time of ‘sunrise’ and ‘sunset’ will be equal with each revolution, assuming that the ball is revolving at a constant speed. This also means that the farther toward the top or bottom of the ball a point is, the greater the difference will be between periods ...

How does the Earth's axis of rotation affect daylight hours?

Our amount of daylight hours depends on our latitude and how Earth orbits the sun. Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted from its orbital plane and always points in the same direction — toward the North Star. As a result, the orientation of Earth’s axis to the sun is always changing throughout the year as we revolve around the sun.

Why does the intensity of sunlight vary with time of year?

The variation in intensity results because the angle at which the sun’s rays hit the Earth changes with time of year. If you shine a flashlight at the ceiling, the region that is illuminated shrinks or grows depending on whether ...

What determines the length of daylight?

The tilt of the Earth’s axis also defines the length of daylight. Daylight hours are shortest in each hemisphere’s winter. Between summer and winter solstice, the number of daylight hours decreases, and the rate of decrease is larger the higher the latitude. The fewer sunlight hours the colder the nights. How fast Earth spins determines the number ...

How does the orientation of Earth's axis to the Sun change throughout the year?

As a result, the orientation of Earth’s axis to the sun is always changing throughout the year as we revolve around the sun. Sometimes the axis points toward the sun and other times away from the sun. As this orientation changes throughout the year, so does the distribution of sunlight on Earth’s surface at any given latitude.

Does the Sun's energy spread out over different geographic areas?

Similarly, the sun’s energy spreads out over differing geographic areas when it reaches Earth’s surface . It is more concentrated during our summer months when the sun is higher in the sky. This spinning of Earth like a top explains our daily cycle of night and day.

How fast does the Earth spin?

How fast Earth spins determines the number of hours in a given day. As Earth orbits the sun it spins about its axis approximately once every 24 hours. But this is slowly changing with time.

What happens when you shine a flashlight at the ceiling?

If you shine a flashlight at the ceiling, the region that is illuminated shrinks or grows depending on whether you point it directly at the ceiling or at an angle. Similarly, the sun’s energy spreads out over differing geographic areas when it reaches Earth’s surface.

How many hours of sunlight does a latitude receive?

The sunlight hours range from 0 to 24 hours per day while most latitudes range from 9 to 15 hours.

Does the amount of sunlight vary over the course of the year?

Interestingly, when you are at the equator, the amount of sunlight per day does not really vary too significantly over the course of the year , whereas if you are near the poles, the difference between summer and winter is very dramatic.

How many hours of sunlight do you get in a day?

The sunlight hours range from 0 to 24 hours per day while most latitudes range from 9 to 15 hours. If you hover over the yellow bars (or click on mobile), you will see the exact number of hours for that latitude band for that date.

How does the Northern Hemisphere affect the amount of sunlight it receives?

This visualization helps to show how the seasons come about. When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, the amount of sunlight it receives increases (hours of daylight, average sun intensity and total amount of sunlight received). As the hemisphere tilts away from the sun, the amount of sunlight it receives decreases.

What happens to the amount of sunlight in the hemisphere?

As the hemisphere tilts away from the sun, the amount of sunlight it receives decreases. The amount of sunlight a region receives causes the seasons that we experience. Interestingly, when you are at the equator, the amount of sunlight per day does not really vary too significantly over the course of the year, whereas if you are near the poles, ...

Why do the poles have less sunlight?

When looking at total sunlight received, the poles generally have lower sunlight because even in their summer, there is much lower land area relative to the middle latitudes (close to the equator) The second visualization shown here shows how the tilt of the Earth’s axis is changed over the course of the Earth’s revolution around the sun. ...

How many degrees is the Earth's axis tilted?

The Earth’s axis is tilted at 23.5 degrees relative to the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the sun. Like the last visualization, you can look at Earth the way we normally do (without the tilted axis) or from the perspective of the sun (with a tilted axis).

Does the equator affect daylight hours?

At the equator the tilt of the earth's axis has minimal effect on daylight hours. In Singapore, which is less than 100 miles north of the equator, the number of daylight hours varies by only 10 minutes throughout the year.

How does the tilt of the Earth affect daylight hours?

How the tilt of the earth affects daylight hours. Due to its spherical nature, at any moment in time half the earth is illuminated by the sun while the other half is in darkness. This does not mean that everywhere half the time is spent in daylight and the other half in darkness: the distribution of daylight and darkness is complicated by ...

What does daylight hours mean?

Daylight hours represent the amount of time from sunrise to sunset - not to be confused with sunshine hours, which shows how much bright sunshine you can expect at your chosen destination in every month of the year.

Which hemisphere has more daylight hours?

At the height of the European summer, when the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, it experiences more daylight hours than the southern hemisphere which at the same time will be tilted away from the sun. Exactly six months later the tables are reversed when the southern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun with more daylight hours in ...

How many hours of daylight are there in the seasons?

As the earth reaches the two points that are equidistant between seasons there comes a time - the two equinoxes: one in March and the other in September - when all places on earth experience 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. All circles of latitude are exposed to direct sunlight for ...

When do we experience 12 hours of daylight?

As the earth reaches the two points that are equidistant between seasons there comes a time - the two equinoxes: one in March and the other in September - when all places on earth experience 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.

Does the Arctic receive daylight?

Within the Arctic and Antarctic circles, the 23.5° tilt is sufficient that within these areas some places are bathed in daylight continuously at the height of summer, the opposite also being true that they receive no daylight at all during winter.