Why does it stay dark or light daytime for nearly 24 hours at the poles?

215 views

Okay I know this is like 4th grade science or something, but I think with my stroke I just can’t seem to picture why the sun is “on” or “off” for most of the day up at the North Pole or down at South Pole, and yet at the equator days are very regular year ’round.

I keep picturing the Earth on its axis, but I just can’t seem to figure out how the sun shines differently at different latitudes.

In: 3

8 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

The sides of the earth don’t point directly at the sun. It tilts. This is why we have seasons. At certain times of the year, the north pole tilts towards the sun and the south pole away. At other times, it’s the opposite.

This is also responsible for the poles being light or dark for such long periods of time. The earth tilts towards the sun at one pole so, as it spins, those regions see the sun no matter which way they are facing in the rotation.

You are viewing 1 out of 8 answers, click here to view all answers.