Anonymous

Why Do Shadows Change Over A Year?

1

1 Answers

Connor Sephton Profile
Connor Sephton answered
Shadow lengths will change throughout the year because during the year, the seasons change. During different seasons the planets are in different alignments to the sun, and hence, the shadow of a static object will naturally change. During the winter, the shadows will be longer. This is because the Earth will be technically closer to the sun.

During the summer, the shadow of the static object will of course be shorter, given that in this season that the Earth will be further away from the sun. So remember, summer is shorter, winter is longer.

Though, you must remember that the Earth isn't really further away or closer from the sun. Instead, the Earth will be tilted one way or another. This means that during the summer, the Earth will be tilted in a position which means that the country or timezone you are in will be closer to the heat of the sun. This means that the sun is technically closer to your part of the Earth, and you will experience better weather due to the smaller distance that the light has to travel.

If you are in the winter, then the Earth will have the part that you are residing in tilting further away from the sun. This means that the light will have to travel further to get to your part of the Earth, making the weather significantly colder. As mentioned, the position of the sun in the two distinctly different seasons will mean that the shadow sizes change. The change is gradual, however, as throughout the year the Earth will slowly tilt back again and the shadows will just get gradually longer or gradually shorter to reflect the movement of the earth throughout the year.

For more information, search 'seasons' on Wikipedia, and you'll get a full explanation of how seasons work.

Answer Question

Anonymous