For this assignment, you are challenged to answer a series of questions about a

Question

For this assignment, you are challenged to answer a series of questions about a fictional planet, Zindau, to demonstrate your understanding of Module Two’s seasonality concepts.

Prompt: Our story begins in the Andromeda Galaxy. You are an inhabitant of a planet called Zindau, which is approximately the size of Earth. It orbits a star that is about the same size as the Sun. Further, the distance between these celestial bodies is approximate to the Earth and Sun. However, there are some differences:

A. Planet Zindau has an equal distribution of land and water between both hemispheres.

B. Planet Zindau has an axial tilt of 35 degrees.

C. Although the perihelion and aphelion occur at about the same time as the solstices (as it does for Earth), the eccentricity of Zindau’s orbit is 10% (as compared to about 2% for Earth). The alignment of the perihelion and aphelion relative to the year is the same as that for Earth.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed: Answer the following questions in sentence format. Try to answer each question in a sentence or two.

1. Where will the significant lines of latitude (equator, Tropics, Circles) align on Zindau?

2. How will the equal distribution of land and water affect seasonal temperatures between the hemispheres relative to the perihelion/solstice and aphelion/solstice?

3. How does the increased tilt affect critical components of seasonality across the latitudes as compared to Earth? a) How would the daylight period be affected across the latitudes through the year? b) How would beam spreading and depletion be affected across the latitudes? c) How would the solar angle incidence be affected across the latitudes?

4. Calculate the winter and summer solstice solar angles for a point existing at 45 degrees north latitude. Are there any other aspects of Zindau/Sun relationships that would be affected? If so, what are they and how would they be different from that of Earth?

5. Describe seasonality through the year for both hemispheres.

Explanation / Answer

answer 1 equator will be at the centre (0-degree latitude) and tropics will be in the range from (+ -) 35 degree of latitude from the equator. Since the tilt of the planet is 35 degree.

answer 2. In our earth, the Northern hemisphere is contained 61% water and 40% land. Now on our planet, both northern and southern hemisphere contains 50% water and 50% land so for analogy the northern hemisphere of the earth is not a bad option. The water because of high specific heat try to maintain the temperature for a long time while land because of low specific heat easily get heated and easily lose heat now if our planet has 50% water on both hemispheres than first of all both sphere have same annual temp unlike earth and second both feel not very low temp and there is less fluctuation in temp average maybe 14 degrees as in earth northern hemisphere

Answer 3 during summer day will be longer than earth and night will be shorter in the northern hemisphere and during winter opposite will happen in the northern hemisphere.

B beam spreading will be high since because of increase in tilt angle the area expose to the sun is increasing.

C during summer the highest angle the earth made with the sun rays is 90 which is at 23.5-degree lat but in this planet because of 35 degrees tilt the sunlight make 90 degrees with 35-degree latitude during summer on the northern hemisphere. Similarly, there is a shift in angle for other latitudes or you can say the angle for each latitude will increase in summer as compared to earth and decrease in winter as compared to earth.

Answer 4 now during the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere the sun rays will be perpendicular to 35-degree latitude rather than 23.5 in case of the earth. Now during the summer solstice, the maximum tilt towards the sun is 35 degree of northern hemisphere rather than 23.5 of as in case of the earth. In winter solstice opposite will happen that is the maximum tilt of 35 degrees but in the southern hemisphere.

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