If you lived right on the equator

[Rubycon]

Wouldn't every day have the same amount of daylight?

Someone wants to argue about this with me.

 

[ElFenix]

should be, though it won't be 12 hours

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: MS Dawn
Wouldn't every day have the same amount of daylight?

Someone wants to argue about this with me.

No, some days will be slightly longer than others even on the equator. It is much, much more difficult to notice. If you want to claim that every day on the equator has around x hours of sunlight, then you'd be right on. The total amount of sunlight each day will vary slightly

 

[BrownTown]

But the intensity changes so there are still seasons.

 

[jagec]

The sun always rose and set at 6:30 when I lived at the equator.

Originally posted by: BrownTown
But the intensity changes so there are still seasons.

There are two seasons, rainy and dry. They have nothing to do with the intensity of the sun.

 

[BrownTown]

If by nothing you mean everything then yes you are correct.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: MS Dawn
Wouldn't every day have the same amount of daylight?

Someone wants to argue about this with me.

No, some days will be slightly longer than others even on the equator. This is because the Earth's orbit around the sun is ellpitical, even if the ellipse is almost a circle.

The length of the day is due to the rotation of the earth, not the orbital motion of the earth.

A day on the equator will always have the same amount of daylight.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: BrownTown
If by nothing you mean everything then yes you are correct.

Fine, the intensity of the sun on the northern and southern hemispheres affect wind and water currents, which drive the shift from rainy to dry seasons. But the intensity of the sun in the rainy and dry season (at the equator) does not change, only the likelihood of seeing it.

 

[Shawn]

It should be pretty much the same all year.

 

[stu1811]

The Earth does not spin perfectly on it's axis. It is slightly tilted. Hence teh difference between magnetic north and true north. Therefore the amount of light will change slightly thru the seasons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_tilt

 

[mugs]

The earth still tilts down there... I'm thinking the length of days (sunlight) should vary down there, just less than up here.

 

[dug777]

The only seasonal difference i noticed was, as has been said, the rainy season, and the relatively dry season

 

[I Saw OJ]

If you lived right on the equator

it would be hot.

 

[Kalvin00]

Originally posted by: I Saw OJ

If you lived right on the equator

it would be hot.

Unless you were high up in the Andes mountains.

 

[shortspanishguy]

Originally posted by: I Saw OJ

If you lived right on the equator

it would be hot.

When I visit my family in Ecaudor the temp is never very hot. It is a myth.

 

[I Saw OJ]

Originally posted by: Kalvin00

Originally posted by: I Saw OJ

If you lived right on the equator

it would be hot.

Unless you were high up in the Andes mountains.

Then it would be hot and cold at the same time... :Q

 

[Sc4freak]

Originally posted by: Armitage

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: MS Dawn
Wouldn't every day have the same amount of daylight?

Someone wants to argue about this with me.

No, some days will be slightly longer than others even on the equator. This is because the Earth's orbit around the sun is ellpitical, even if the ellipse is almost a circle.

The length of the day is due to the rotation of the earth, not the orbital motion of the earth.

A day on the equator will always have the same amount of daylight.

Actually, the length of the day and the seasons are affected by Earth's orbit. The planet is tilted by ~23 degrees relative to the orbital plane. Because of this, the sun hits different parts of the Earth at different intensities at different times of the year. Imagine this: The Earth is in a position where the North Pole is tilted towards the sun. The Northern Hemisphere is now recieving more powerful rays from the sun, while the Southern Hemisphere is recieving less powerful rays. Exactly 1/2 a year later, the positions will be reversed. The North Pole will be pointing away from the sun, and the South Pole will be pointing towards the sun. In that case, the North will experience winter and the south will experience summer.

And since the ecliptic plane lies tilted on the Earth relative to the equator, the hemisphere which points towards the sun will experience more daylight than the hemisphere which points away. It has nothing to do with the elliptical orbit of the Earth or the rotational speed around our axis.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: mugs
The earth still tilts down there... I'm thinking the length of days (sunlight) should vary down there, just less than up here.

The person who grew up down there says that it does not, at least, not enough to tell. The sun only moves back and forth a little from month to month, it still sets at the same time.

Originally posted by: shortspanishguy

Originally posted by: I Saw OJ

If you lived right on the equator

it would be hot.

When I visit my family in Ecaudor the temp is never very hot. It is a myth.

Ah, but is it Sierra, Costa, o Oriente? It gets pretty hot on the coast, though certainly not as bad as parts of the US in the summer (ugh, how can anyone live in Barstow, CA?)

 

[Whoozyerdaddy]

All I know is when I go to Hawaii (a place kind of close to the equator) in September it's a little warmer than it is when I'm there in February. And the sunset varies by about an hour.

 

[her209]

earth_equator.jpg

Note: Summer and winter refers to summer and winter in the northern hemisphere, ie, winter and summer in the southern hemisphere, respectively.

Assume that the sun will shine on the left half of the circle in the summer and the sun will will shine on the right half on the circle in the winter.

As pictured left, if the Earth is not tilted and we pick any point on the circle, that point will see an equal amount of time on the day side as it does on the night side regardless if its summer or winter. As pictured right, if the Earth is tilted, the farther north the point is away from equator, the point will spend more time on the day side in the summer and conversely, it spends less time on the day side in the winter time. However, if the point is on the equator, then it will spend an equal amount of time on the day and night side regardless of season.

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: Sc4freak

Originally posted by: Armitage

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: MS Dawn
Wouldn't every day have the same amount of daylight?

Someone wants to argue about this with me.

No, some days will be slightly longer than others even on the equator. This is because the Earth's orbit around the sun is ellpitical, even if the ellipse is almost a circle.

The length of the day is due to the rotation of the earth, not the orbital motion of the earth.

A day on the equator will always have the same amount of daylight.

Actually, the length of the day and the seasons are affected by Earth's orbit. The planet is tilted by ~23 degrees relative to the orbital plane. Because of this, the sun hits different parts of the Earth at different intensities at different times of the year. Imagine this: The Earth is in a position where the North Pole is tilted towards the sun. The Northern Hemisphere is now recieving more powerful rays from the sun, while the Southern Hemisphere is recieving less powerful rays. Exactly 1/2 a year later, the positions will be reversed. The North Pole will be pointing away from the sun, and the South Pole will be pointing towards the sun. In that case, the North will experience winter and the south will experience summer.

I'm well aware of earth orientation. And yes, the tilt of the earth is reasponsible for longer summer days and shorter winter days - anywhere away from the equator. But the eastern and western sun terminators are always 180 degrees apart on the equator, so the length of a day on the equator is always the same length.

Take a look at this screenshot of the summer solstice - longest day of the year for the northern hemisphere:

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/Armitage/summer_solstice.png

The yellow line is the solar terminator, the two ground station icons are 180 degrees apart.

Similarly for the autumnal equinox - the day when the subpoint of the sun crosses from the northern to southern hemisphere:

http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/Armitage/autumnal_equinox.png

Again, the intersections of the sun terminator with the equator are 180 degrees apart. The geometry is pretty simple actually. The equator is a circle with the same diameter as the sphere of the earth (no, it's not really a sphere). The sun terminator is also a circle with the same diameter. It's easy to show that any two circles like this on a sphere will either be coincident, or the two intersection points have to be 180 degrees apart.

And since the ecliptic plane lies tilted on the Earth relative to the equator, the hemisphere which points towards the sun will experience more daylight than the hemisphere which points away. It has nothing to do with the elliptical orbit of the Earth or the rotational speed around our axis.

All true for any point not on the equator.

 

[FoBoT]

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.html

put in 90W 0N (Galopogos Islands) and make a table and see what time sunrise/sunset is throughout the year


Location: W090 00, 00 00 Rise and Set for the Sun for 2006 U. S. Naval Observatory
Washington, DC 20392-5420
Zone: 7h West of Greenwich


Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
Day Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set
h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m h m
01 0500 1707 0510 1717 0509 1716 0501 1707 0454 1700 0454 1701 0500 1708 0503 1710 0457 1703 0446 1653 0440 1647 0445 1653
02 0500 1708 0510 1717 0509 1715 0500 1707 0454 1700 0454 1702 0500 1708 0503 1710 0456 1703 0446 1653 0440 1647 0446 1653
03 0501 1708 0510 1717 0509 1715 0500 1707 0453 1700 0455 1702 0501 1708 0503 1710 0456 1703 0446 1652 0440 1647 0446 1654
04 0501 1709 0510 1717 0508 1715 0500 1706 0453 1700 0455 1702 0501 1708 0503 1710 0456 1702 0445 1652 0440 1647 0447 1654
05 0502 1709 0511 1718 0508 1715 0459 1706 0453 1700 0455 1702 0501 1708 0503 1709 0455 1702 0445 1652 0440 1647 0447 1654
06 0502 1710 0511 1718 0508 1715 0459 1706 0453 1700 0455 1702 0501 1708 0502 1709 0455 1702 0445 1651 0440 1647 0447 1655
07 0503 1710 0511 1718 0508 1714 0459 1705 0453 1700 0455 1703 0501 1709 0502 1709 0455 1701 0445 1651 0440 1647 0448 1655
08 0503 1711 0511 1718 0507 1714 0459 1705 0453 1700 0455 1703 0501 1709 0502 1709 0454 1701 0444 1651 0440 1647 0448 1656
09 0504 1711 0511 1718 0507 1714 0458 1705 0453 1700 0456 1703 0502 1709 0502 1709 0454 1701 0444 1651 0440 1647 0449 1656
10 0504 1711 0511 1718 0507 1714 0458 1705 0453 1700 0456 1703 0502 1709 0502 1709 0454 1700 0444 1650 0440 1647 0449 1657
11 0504 1712 0511 1718 0507 1713 0458 1704 0453 1700 0456 1703 0502 1709 0502 1709 0453 1700 0443 1650 0441 1648 0450 1657
12 0505 1712 0511 1718 0506 1713 0457 1704 0453 1700 0456 1704 0502 1709 0502 1708 0453 1659 0443 1650 0441 1648 0450 1658
13 0505 1712 0511 1718 0506 1713 0457 1704 0453 1700 0456 1704 0502 1709 0501 1708 0453 1659 0443 1650 0441 1648 0451 1658
14 0505 1713 0511 1718 0506 1712 0457 1704 0453 1700 0457 1704 0502 1709 0501 1708 0452 1659 0443 1649 0441 1648 0451 1658
15 0506 1713 0511 1718 0506 1712 0457 1703 0453 1700 0457 1704 0502 1710 0501 1708 0452 1658 0442 1649 0441 1648 0451 1659
16 0506 1713 0511 1717 0505 1712 0456 1703 0453 1700 0457 1704 0503 1710 0501 1708 0452 1658 0442 1649 0441 1648 0452 1659
17 0507 1714 0511 1717 0505 1712 0456 1703 0453 1700 0457 1705 0503 1710 0501 1707 0451 1658 0442 1649 0441 1649 0452 1700
18 0507 1714 0511 1717 0505 1711 0456 1703 0453 1700 0457 1705 0503 1710 0500 1707 0451 1657 0442 1648 0442 1649 0453 1700
19 0507 1714 0510 1717 0504 1711 0456 1702 0453 1700 0458 1705 0503 1710 0500 1707 0451 1657 0442 1648 0442 1649 0453 1701
20 0507 1715 0510 1717 0504 1711 0456 1702 0453 1700 0458 1705 0503 1710 0500 1707 0450 1657 0441 1648 0442 1649 0454 1701
21 0508 1715 0510 1717 0504 1710 0455 1702 0453 1700 0458 1705 0503 1710 0500 1706 0450 1656 0441 1648 0442 1650 0454 1702
22 0508 1715 0510 1717 0504 1710 0455 1702 0453 1700 0458 1706 0503 1710 0500 1706 0449 1656 0441 1648 0443 1650 0455 1702
23 0508 1716 0510 1717 0503 1710 0455 1702 0453 1700 0459 1706 0503 1710 0459 1706 0449 1656 0441 1648 0443 1650 0455 1703
24 0509 1716 0510 1717 0503 1709 0455 1701 0453 1700 0459 1706 0503 1710 0459 1706 0449 1655 0441 1648 0443 1650 0456 1703
25 0509 1716 0510 1716 0503 1709 0455 1701 0453 1701 0459 1706 0503 1710 0459 1705 0448 1655 0441 1647 0443 1651 0456 1704
26 0509 1716 0510 1716 0502 1709 0454 1701 0453 1701 0459 1707 0503 1710 0458 1705 0448 1655 0441 1647 0444 1651 0457 1704
27 0509 1716 0509 1716 0502 1709 0454 1701 0454 1701 0459 1707 0503 1710 0458 1705 0448 1654 0440 1647 0444 1651 0457 1705
28 0509 1717 0509 1716 0502 1708 0454 1701 0454 1701 0500 1707 0503 1710 0458 1704 0447 1654 0440 1647 0444 1652 0458 1705
29 0510 1717 0501 1708 0454 1701 0454 1701 0500 1707 0503 1710 0458 1704 0447 1654 0440 1647 0445 1652 0458 1706
30 0510 1717 0501 1708 0454 1701 0454 1701 0500 1707 0503 1710 0457 1704 0447 1653 0440 1647 0445 1652 0459 1706
31 0510 1717 0501 1707 0454 1701 0503 1710 0457 1704 0440 1647 0459 1707


you can see the times vary by about 30 minutes over the course of the entire year , but the length is the same