Why Isn’t The Longest Day Of The Year Also The Hottest Day Of The Year?
4 September 2018, 18:10 | Updated: 4 September 2018, 18:11
Why isn’t the longest day of the year also the hottest day of the year?
Question:
Why isn’t the longest day of the year also the hottest day of the year?
Tim, Staffordshire
Answer:
Name: Professor Hal Sosabowski
Qualification: Professor of Public Understanding of Science at the University of Brighton.
Answer: The temperature of a particular place is determined by its angle to the sun. It is hottest at the equator as the sun's rays are completely direct to the earth, but coldest at the north and south pole as they are the most indirect spots on Earth. The longest day happens to be when the Earth is tilted towards the sun so more of it is in sunlight, however this is different to being at the optimum angle to the sun rays hitting the earth.
