Eli5: why is the sun so much brighter and unforgiving in the winter even though it’s so much colder compared to summer?

Question

Eli5: why is the sun so much brighter and unforgiving in the winter even though it’s so much colder compared to summer?

In: Planetary Science

Answer 1

Couple of things can contribute to this:

* Snow is very reflective. It can bounce a lot of sunlight back at you that normally gets absorbed by the grass or dirt or pavement or manure or whatever else is on the ground near you.
* The sun doesn’t get as high in the sky during the winter. At a lower angle, it’s shining more directly into your eyes.
* If you live in the Northern hemisphere, remember that the Earth is closest to the sun in January (though not by a huge margin).