Why does the Sun in the sky of Mercury periodically stop and move in the opposite direction? Detailed answer

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Why does the Sun in the sky of Mercury periodically stop and move in the opposite direction? Detailed answer

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Why does the Sun in the sky of Mercury periodically stop and move in the opposite direction?

As you know, Mercury rotates around its axis very slowly, and the speed of its movement along the orbit is uneven. For about 8 days out of 88, the orbital speed of this planet becomes higher than the rotational one. If at this time the observer is on the surface of Mercury, he will see that the Sun has stopped in the sky and is moving in the opposite direction. This phenomenon is sometimes called the Joshua effect, the biblical hero who, according to legend, stopped the sun.

Authors: Jimmy Wales, Larry Sanger

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

Why is it warmer in summer than in winter?

Isn't it strange: when winter reigns in the northern hemisphere, the Earth is closer to the Sun by 4 km than when it is summer there. The fact is that in this case, the weather is determined not by the distance from our planet to the Sun, but by the tilt of the earth's axis in relation to the plane of the earth's orbit. The angle of this inclination is 500 degrees.

The earth revolves around the sun in such a way that its axis is always directed towards the North Star. Therefore, for one half of the year, the North Pole of the earth leans towards the Sun, and for the rest it deviates from it. In the first case, summer reigns in the Northern Hemisphere, in the second - winter. In the South, of course, the opposite is true.

The weather in a particular region of the earth depends on the angle at which the sun's rays fall on a given area of the earth's surface. In winter, the low sun illuminates the earth with gliding rays, and in summer they fall vertically. Glancing rays heat the Earth's surface less for two reasons.

First, because the same amount of heat is distributed over a larger area in winter than in summer. Secondly, in this case, the rays pass through a thicker layer of air in the Earth's atmosphere, which leads to large losses of their thermal energy. The climate is determined not only by the amount of heat entering a particular part of the Earth's surface from the Sun, but also by other factors.

For example, in the expanses of the seas and in the areas adjacent to them, temperature changes with the change of seasons are not so great. On the contrary, in the depths of the continents, the difference between the temperature in winter and summer is much more significant. This is due to the fact that the earth cools and heats up much faster than water.

Another factor that affects the weather is the difference in altitude above sea level. As altitude increases, air density decreases, and hence its ability to retain heat. As a result, the climate in the mountainous regions is much colder than in the plains.

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