How Does Solar Energy Heat the Earth?
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Solar Energy
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Solar energy is the heat and light that come from the sun. This energy reaches Earth after traveling 93 million miles in the form of subatomic particles called photons. When photons hit the Earth, they warm whatever absorbs them.
The Absorbtion of Light From the Sun
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Not all the sun's energy that comes toward Earth gets through our atmosphere. Some, such as ultraviolet light, is reflected by the ozone layer. The light that does pass through our atmosphere can be absorbed by the oceans and the land.
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How Absorbtion Heats Our Earth
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When solar energy reaches the Earth's surface, some of it, especially in the infrared range, is reflected back into the atmosphere. Some of this reflected heat is trapped in the atmosphere by certain gases in the "greenhouse effect." The heat absorbed by greenhouse gases slowly radiates back to the Earth's surface, helping keep it warm enough to sustain life.
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References
- Photo Credit NASA
