July 15, 1402 at 10:22
Solar zenith is the term used for the Earth’s farthest distance from the Sun. Currely, the earth is at the farthest poi from the sun, so what is the reason for the extreme heat of the earth in July?
We are in the early days of summer and the temperature is relatively high; But did you know that the Earth is at the farthest possible distance from the Sun? This happens every year and astronomers have chosen the term solar zenith for it. If it seems strange to you how we still experience summer at the farthest poi from the sun, you should consider the moveme of the earth around the sun and of course its rotation.
Explanation of a paradox; The earth is farthest from the sun and the days are in the hottest state
The average distance between the Earth and the Sun is called an astronomical unit (AU) and is equal to 150 million kilometers. However, the earth’s orbit around the sun is slightly elliptical. Thus, during the year, one day is called perigee, which means that the earth is closest to the sun, and one day is called solar zenith.
In 2023, the perigee occurred on January 4 (14 January 1401), when the distance between the Earth and the Sun reached 0.98 AU. Today, July 6 (July 15), the Earth is 1.01 AU away from the Sun. It was for the first time in the 17th ceury that the astronomer Johannes Kepler realized that the planets have elliptical orbits around the Sun.
He also noticed that the planets move at the highest possible speed when they are in perihelion and slow down to the lowest possible speed when they are in solar zenith. This also makes the summer in the Northern Hemisphere a few days longer than the summer in the Southern Hemisphere. However, although the distance between the perigee and the zenith is millions of kilometers, it has very little effect on the temperature of the planet.
So what causes the Earth to experience hot days at the farthest distance from the Sun? What causes the seasons is the Earth’s 23.5 degree axial tilt. Accordingly, throughout the year, the sun shines at differe latitudes with differe angles. Because of this axial deviation, in July, the northern hemisphere tilts slightly towards the sun and receives the most amou of light and heat from the sun.
At the same time, the southern hemisphere is tilted against the direction of the sun and naturally experiences shorter and colder days. As a result of the earth being at the farthest distance from the sun, it cannot have much effect on whether or not the planet is hot. Of course, if you think that summers have become hotter than in the past, you are absolutely right.
Various environmeal organizations have warned that the global temperature has increased by an average of one degree Celsius since the 19th ceury. This happens for several reasons. First of all, mankind uses fossil fuels heavily to produce electricity and heat, as a result of which a large amou of carbon dioxide eers the atmosphere.
The second factor is the cutting of trees and the shrinking of forests, which takes away the opportunity to recover from the land. The third factor is the increase in the population of the planet, which causes differe companies to seek to produce differe products for new markets. Of course, providing food and providing living conditions (electricity and gas in buildings and urban transportation) also causes humans to release more carbon dioxide io the atmosphere.
If curre trends coinue, future generations will see grueling summers. At that time, the earth being at the farthest distance from the sun, can be a sign for the beginning of the annual warming nightmare.
