Question

The sun’s rays fall vertically at the Tropic of _______ on 22nd December.

Answer 1

Hint: When the nights are longer and the days are shorter, the position of the Earth is called the summer solstice. The day the Earth’s North pole is tilted towards the Earth is called the Summer solstice and the day the Earth’s South pole is tilted towards the Earth is called the winter solstice.

Complete answer:On 22nd December, the Tropic of Capricorn receives direct rays of the sun as the South Pole tilts towards it. When the sun’s rays fall directly at the Tropic of Capricorn (23­° S), a larger area of the Southern Hemisphere gets light. Therefore, it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere with longer days and shorter nights. The reverse happens in the Northern Hemisphere. This position of the earth is called the Winter Solstice, which is why Australia experiences its summer months in December.
In the summer, days feel longer because the Sun rises very early in the morning and sets late at night. When the North Pole of the Earth is tilted toward the Sun, the northern hemisphere receives more light and therefore it's summer. As the Earth revolves in its orbit, the tilt of the North Pole changes. When the Earth has tilted away from the Sun, it is winter in the northern hemisphere and in between, we experience autumn and spring.
On the day that the Earth's North Pole is tilted closest to the sun is called the summer solstice. This is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and the winter solstice, or the shortest day of the year, happens when the Earth's North Pole is tilted farthest away from the Sun.

Note: There are two times when the tilt of the Earth is zero, which means that the tilt is neither away from the Sun nor toward the Sun, it's straight. This phenomenon is called the vernal equinox — the first day of spring — and the autumnal equinox – the first day of fall. Equinox literally means equal. During the equinox, the number of hours of day and night is equal. Both are 12 hours long.