Does anyone know where the names of the tropics come from?

Question

I always asked myself and tried to find where the names of the tropics come but no eligible answer was given to me. Please give me any good idea or information on this if you have. Thanks.

Answer 1

The word "tropics" comes from Greek tropos meaning "turn", because the apparent position of the Sun oscillates between the two tropics with a period that defines the average length of a year.
The Tropic of Capricorn is so named because about 2000 years ago the sun was entering the constellation Capricornus on the December solstice. In modern times the sun appears in the constellation Sagittarius during this time. The change is due to precession of the equinoxes.The Tropic of Cancer is so called because when it was named, the sun was in the constellation of Cancer when it appeared directly overhead at this latitude during the June solstice however, again due to precession of the equinoxes, the June solstice is now in the constellation Taurus.

Answer 2

To understand this you have to understand what it means for the sun to go through the signs of the Zodiac during the year. For us the sun seems to go across the sky each day but this is because of the rotation of the earth. If we draw a map of the sky and plot where the sun is at the same time each day we shall see that through the year it moves through the twelve "signs" of the Zodiac (a strip across the heavens) we divide its path through the heavens into. Because the path the sun takes is at a slant to the equator because of the earth's tilt the sun seems to climb up the heavens until the summer solstice (the time when it stands still ) when it turns and goes down until the winter solstice when it turns again and climbs up the heavens again. "Tropikos" in Greek means to do with turning, specifically this turning of the sun. The points on its path when it does this is the beginning of the signs of Cancer (21st May) and Capricorn (21st December). These points on the sphere of the heavens correspond to points on the globe and the space on the earth's surface and the equator between the latitudes where these points lie are the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn respectively. The names of the tropics therefore correspond to the names of the signs of the zodiac at the beginning of which these turns take place. The signs of the Zodiac are named after the constellations which the sun's path goes through, and these were named no doubt originally because of some fancied resemblance between the position of the stars in them and the animal or whatever they are named after, in this case crab (Cancer in Latin) and the horn of a goat (Capricornus in Latin). Unfortunately the constellations no longer are in the same place as the part of the zodiac named after them. The signs of the Zodiac go back to Ancient Greek times.

Answer 3

Thousands of years ago when the zodiac was named the sun was in the tropic of Cancer or Capricorn when the tilt of the earth was at a maximum with respect to the sun at change of season. The specific signs of the zodiac were just behind the sun.

Answer 4

Kes has given the correct answer.
It is the star sign that the sun appears to be in, at it's furthest point North or South, the solstices.
I now live within the Tropic-of-Cancer 10.5 degrees North of the Equator, so the sun at sometimes of the year is in the North at noon.

Answer 5

According to Wikipedia: The tropic of Cancer is called Tropic of Cancer because when it was named the sun was in the location of the constellation of Cancer (Latin for crab) in the sky at the June solstice. Check it out.

Answer 6

The word "tropics" comes from Greek tropos meaning "turn", because the apparent position of the Sun oscillates between the two tropics with a period that defines the average length of a year.
Please see the webpage for more details on Tropics.

Answer 7

The line is called the Tropic of Cancer because when it was named, the sun was in the constellation of Cancer

Answer 8

i think the word tropics is a shortened word for tropical ie the weather,tropical rain ,tropical storms,rain forest whats left that is the list is endless

Answer 9

yes from the tropics

Answer 10

This is the true answer to your question. How do I know, becuse my Geography teacher told my class the answer. It's because the sun shines there mostly all year (even when other parts of the world are having winter).