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Chapter 2: Problem 48

Suppose the tilt of Earth's equator relative to its orbit were \(10^{\circ}\) instead of \(23.5^{\circ} .\) At what latitudes would the Arctic and Antarctic circles and the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn be located?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Arctic Circle: 80°N, Antarctic Circle: 80°S, Tropic of Cancer: 10°N, Tropic of Capricorn: 10°S

Step by step solution

01

Identify the Current Tilts and Locations

The current tilt of the Earth's equator relative to its orbit is 23.5°. At this tilt, the Arctic Circle is located at 66.5°N, the Antarctic Circle at 66.5°S, the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5°N, and the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.5°S.
02

Determine the New Tilt

In this problem, the new tilt of the Earth's equator relative to its orbit is given as 10° instead of 23.5°.
03

Calculate the New Arctic and Antarctic Circles

The Arctic Circle is at 90°N minus the Earth's tilt. Hence, with a new tilt of 10°, the Arctic Circle will be at: 90° - 10° = 80°N Similarly, the Antarctic Circle will be at: 90° - 10° = 80°S
04

Calculate the New Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn

The Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn are located at the latitude equal to the Earth's tilt. With the new tilt of 10°, both Tropics will be at: 10°N for the Tropic of Cancer 10°S for the Tropic of Capricorn

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is a major circle of latitude that is located at approximately 66.5°N of the equator. It marks the region above which, for at least one day a year, there is a continuous period of 24 hours where the sun does not set during the summer solstice, and where it does not rise during the winter solstice. This phenomenon occurs because of Earth’s axial tilt, which is currently 23.5°. As the exercise suggests, if the tilt were to change to 10°, the Arctic Circle would shift to 80°N.
Antarctic Circle
Similar to the Arctic Circle, the Antarctic Circle is located at approximately 66.5°S of the equator. It marks the southernmost latitude where, for at least one day a year, there is a continuous period of 24 hours of daylight during the summer solstice and darkness during the winter solstice. With an axial tilt of 23.5°, the Antarctic Circle follows the same rules as the Arctic Circle but in the Southern Hemisphere. Given the hypothetical tilt of 10°, the Antarctic Circle would move to 80°S.
Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer is a line of latitude situated at approximately 23.5°N. It marks the northernmost point on Earth where the sun can be directly overhead at noon. This occurs during the June solstice. It signifies the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. If Earth's axial tilt were reduced to 10°, the Tropic of Cancer would shift to 10°N. This circle of latitude plays a critical role in determining Earth's climatic zones, marking the boundary between the tropics and subtropics.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

T/F: The celestial sphere is not an actual object in the sky.

You do not see eclipses every month because a. you are not very observant. b. the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up only about twice a year c. the Sun, Earth, and Moon line up only about once a year. d. eclipses happen randomly and are unpredictable.

There is an angle between the ecliptic and the celestial equator because a. Earth's axis is tilted with respect to its orbit. b. Earth's orbit is tilted with respect to the orbits of other planets. c. the Sun follows a rising and falling path through space. d. the Sun's orbit is tilted with respect to Earth's.

We always see the same side of the Moon because a. the Moon does not rotate on its axis. b. the Moon rotates on its axis once for each revolution around Earth. c. when the other side of the Moon is facing Earth, it is unlit. d. when the other side of the Moon is facing Earth, it is on the opposite side of Earth. e. none of the above

Certain constellations are associated with certain times of year. For example, we see the zodiacal constellation Gemini in the Northern Hemisphere's winter (Southern Hemisphere's summer) and the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius in the Northern Hemisphere's summer. Why do we not see Sagittarius in the Northern Hemisphere's winter or Gemini in the Northern Hemisphere's summer?
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