Why is it colder at the top of a mountain despite being closer to the sun ?
In: 11
It’s to do with the pressure of the air up there. The molecules are further apart so they do absorb as much heat from the sun. From there they do not conduct that heat around them as well because there is less stuff to bump into to pass it.
A visualization that may help is imagine opening a 400 degree oven. You will feel hot air pass you but you will not get burned because the air molecules are so far apart that few bump into to you to pass that heat. Compared to a pot of boiling water on top of that stove at 212 degrees. Put your finger in there and you will immediately feel a burn. The water molecules are densely packed so much more touch your skin and pass that energy.
Another fact that may bake your noodle is the Earth is closer to the sun at 91 million miles (called the perihelion) during the northern hemisphere’s winter than in the summer at 95 million miles (aphelion).
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