Does the sun go faster, slower, or the same speed during winter, and why do you think that?

Answer 1

winter time is when the sun is farthest away from the earth. the earth travels at the same speed as always, and the sun never travels much at all.

Answer 2

The earth has an elliptical orbit. The speed of the Earth is fastest when it's closest to the sun, in January (which is either winter or summer, depending on your hemisphere). The relative motion of the sun seen from the earth is called analemma. The figure of 8 motion (take a photo of the sun on the 1st day of every month from the same place and the same direction to see this) is caused by the earth's eliptical orbit. There is a really good explanation in source 1 below, and a neat composite photo is source 2.

Answer 3

Earth is closest to sun in Northern hemisphere winter... January 4th? (The technical term for this is "Periheloin.")

The laws of planetary motion state that for any given length of time, the area swept by an orbit is the same, so closer=faster motion.

The question is meaningless, since that is also summer in the southern hemisphere.

AND THE SUN DOES MOVE! The main thing we notice is our movement around it, but it is ALSO MOVING.

...After Pluto, Mercury and Mars have the most elliptical planetary orbits. The eccentricity of Mars's orbit has a big impact on the Red Planet's seasons. Northern summer on Mars lasts 24 days longer than northern winter because the planet is close to aphelion during the summer. Planets move more slowly at aphelion than they do at perihelion (see Kepler's 2nd Law of planetary motion) and, so, seasons occurring near aphelion last longer. Northern summer on Earth is ~5 days longer than northern winter for the same reason. It's a difference that goes largely unnoticed on our planet, but it's unmistakable on Mars. http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast04jan_1.htm (Document published before recent changes in what are called "planets.")

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler's_laws_of_planetary_motion#Kepler.27s_second_law
Kepler's 2nd Law of planetary motion clearly states that for any planet with a non-circular orbit (like earth), the speed is NOT CONSTANT contrary to the claims of several answers here..

Answer 4

The sun's speed is unrecognizable to us, for we use the earth as our vantage point. While the sun is indeed moving in space, we move at the same pace as the sun moves--the only difference is, we rotate around it. The seasons are caused by the amount of sunlight a given part of the earth receives. For example, summer in the Northern hemisphere occurs when it receives the longest amount of continuous sunlight; at this same time, the Southern hemisphere experiences winter, for it receives less sunlight at this time. When it is winter in the Northern hemisphere, it is summer in the South; this is thanks due to the tilt of the earth along its axis.

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

It's actually the tilt of the earth's axis that creates the sun's seasonal pattern. The northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun in it's summer, away from the sun in the northerner's winter.

Answer 6

The Sun doesn't go anywhere - the Earth is revolving around it.

Our velocity around the Sun, however, increases every so slightly as we come towards it, (Winter to Summer) and slows every so slightly back down as we move away from it (Summer to Winter).

When I say slightly, though, I mean so slightly you couldn't really tell just by looking.

Isn't this more of an astronomy question?

Answer 7

First of all, the Earth revolves around the sun. (Basically, the sun is stationary). Because during our winter (northern hemisphere) the Sun is at a lower angle, and is thus visible to us less time. It is the opposite for the southern hemisphere; when we have winter, they have summer.

Answer 8

I don't think it makes any difference. The sun seems go set faster in winter because at some lattitudes, the days are very short.

To all those who answered that the sun doesn't move, it doesn't move RELATIVE TO THE EARTH. It moves relative to a viewer on the earth and It does move in absolute terms

Answer 9

the sun never moves in the winter the earth is feather away from the sun and in the summer the sun is closer

Answer 10

The sun moves??? When I studied science the earth was round and rotated around the sun.