All Questions
4
questions
5
votes
2
answers
421
views
How much solar irradiance do clouds block from reaching the Earth's surface?
Consider a fixed point in the Milankovich cycle and the solar cycle, a fixed Earth-Sun distance, and a fixed horizontal location on Earth, and assume that the Sun is at the zenith for that location. ...
- 48.4k
3
votes
1
answer
7k
views
What causes the perceived intensity of the sun to change on a short timescale?
I was inspired by this question to ask, what causes the "beating down" feeling of the sun to vary day to day? While the linked post explains why the sun feels hotter in the summer than in the winter, ...
- 3,710
2
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Why does lightning most often occur at night?
This is a question based on my experience. I cannot say that lightning (succeed by thunder) never occurs during the day, but it seems most likely to occur during the night. Maybe the humidity levels ...
28
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why doesn't Earth's atmosphere form bands due to different rotational speeds?
If the Earth's atmosphere is rotating at the same speed as Earth, then the atmosphere must be rotating much faster at the equator than at the poles. If you spin a ball covered in oil, it will form ...
