Latitude and Seasonal Variations of Solar Energy on the Earth
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Explore the Effect of the Angle of Incidence on the Sun's Energy

Move your mouse pointer across the parallel "lines of energy" and then click on one of these zones to temporarily "lock" it, and then select a different month (season) in the menu at the bottom.

In each zone in the figure, the total amount of light coming from the sun is the same, but the light is always less intense when it has spread over a larger area on the Earth. Pick an area on the Earth, and change the season - how does the concentration of the sun's rays change?

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Select month (season):          Choose map: Americas  Europe/Africa  Asia/Australia


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