Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня Восход Солнца в афелии http://www.variable-stars.ru/db/msg/1385771/eng |
Credit & Copyright: Stephen Mudge
Explanation:
On July 3rd,
planet Earth
reached aphelion, the farthest point in
its elliptical orbit around the Sun.
Each year, this day of the most distant Sun happens to occur
during winter in the southern hemisphere.
That's where this aphelion sunrise from 2015 was captured in a
time series composite against the skyline of Brisbane, Australia.
Of course, seasons
for our fair planet are not determined by
distance to the Sun, but by the tilt of Earth's rotational axis
with respect to the ecliptic, the plane of its orbit.
Fondly known as the
obliquity of the ecliptic,
the angle of the tilt
is about 23.4 degrees from perpendicular to the orbital plane.
So the most distant sunrise occurs during northern summer, when
the planet's north pole is tilted toward the Sun
and the north enjoys longer, warmer days.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.