if the sun was any closer would we melt?

Question

and if so, if the sun was farther away would we frezzzzzze . im doing a paper and i need info

Answer 1

It's generally true that the further the Earth were from the Sun, the colder it would be, and the closer the warmer. However, this is not necessarily the most important factor. For example, the Earth is closer to the Sun when it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, not further. But the winter is cold because the Northern Hemisphere tilts away from the Sun at this time. In a nearly circular orbit, the tilt of the axis is a stronger effect than the orbit's eccentricity. However, with all other things equal, the planet's temperature would vary with distance from the Sun.

The Sun has a range of orbits around it that are considered a "habitable zone." The Earth could have different orbital distances within this range, and life on Earth could theoretically continue, but probably with great disruption to the ecosystem. Not all species would survive. Humans would have a good shot because we could use technology to warm or cool our enviornment as needed. Closer to the Sun that the habitabile zone, the heat and radiation are too intense for life as we know it. Further away, the heat and light available are insufficient to sustain life.

Earth could quite possibly exist as a habitable planet in the orbits current occupied by Venus and Mars. Venus is extremely hot, but much of that comes from Venus' runaway greenhouse effect that makes its surface hotter than that of Mercury, which is closer to the Sun. Mars is rather cold, but that is partly due to the planet's lack of greenhouse gases, preventing it from retaining the Sun's energy to the extent that Earth does.

Answer 2

If the sun was closer us humans would not melt.
however the results of the sun would be: longer days(shorter nights) it would diffidently melt the ice caps, climate would change.

on the other hand, if the sun was farther away, you are talking about colder days and colder nights. Climate change. The sun would have to get extremely close to the planet before we would start 'melting'. With the sun close enough trees would catch on fire, asphalt and streets would become too hot to touch. Tires would explode, then if the sun got too close it would start too melt plastics, metals from buildings would grow extremely hot. Then snap and bend due to the heat. Then we might burst in flames, we would not however, melt. But crops would, fields would be dead, water would be scarce.
think of the movie with the sudden change of climate(I forget the name it has something with 'tomorrow' in the name)

Answer 3

There could be dangerous consequences to the repositioning of the Sun relative to its position now in relation to the Earth's position. Taking into account that you mean all living things upon saying "we," I don't believe "melt" is the right term to describe those consequences.

If the sun happened to be any closer than it is now, the fate of our planet isn't necessarily known right away; try comparing the conditions on Venus with Mercury. One would immediately think that Mercury has a higher average surface temperature than Venus, but this isn't the case. Venus is the hottest in the solar system despite its position because of the greenhouse affect housed in its atmosphere.

Now, because Earth has an atmosphere (Mercury doesn't; hence, its ability to hold heat close to its surface is weak and insufficient), a closer position to the Sun would increase its surface temperature, and eventually all vegetation would be incapable of reproducing. Taking into account the rate at which our distance from the sun decreases, anything from a slow timely death of all living things to immediate obliteration of life would occur.

The same would be true if our distance from the sun were suddenly extended. Think in terms of how incapable the existence of life would be to continue reproducing as it does now in outstanding frigid temperatures--far below that which exist on Earth today.

Answer 4

That is exactly what is happening with Earth right now...

In SUMMER... The Earth is CLOSER to the SUN...

In WINTER... The Earth is FARTHER from the SUN...

Now... If your question begs the answer if it is CLOSER or FARTHER than what normally happens during SUMMER and WINTER, then the balance would break and we will eventually suffer the consequences.

This is not an exaggeration but the moment Earth loses its Orbit just one degree... Its gonna be Apocalypse!

Answer 5

The answer is no. the earth would not melt reason bieng that we would have to move millions of miles closer to the sun to feel the hot efect.

Did you know that the earth moves closer to the sun twice each year and also moves away from the sun twice also.
As you notice the revolution path of the sun is in an oval path round the sun so twice we move closer amd move far away from the sun.

Answer 6

Yes. Example Venus which is nearer of the sun has a temperature of 480°C on ground. In reality we will not melt but burn
On Mars farther of the sun , the temperature about -100°

Answer 7

If the sun were closer, it could burn off the atmosphere and boil the oceans. If it were farther away, we would receive less energy per unit area, and we could freeze.

For more on the Earth, see Wikipedia, the free, online encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth

Use Wikipedia to examine our neighboring planets, Mars and Venus, for a comparison to being further away or closer.

Hope this helps.

Answer 8

Not really melt but the earth will dehydrate and earth may be crushed and cracks start to appear, but it will only crush if earth is really close to the sun

Answer 9

that depends how much closer and further, since the earth path is not a perfect circle but elliptical, the earth gets near and far from the sun during each cycle (year)

Answer 10

Well, y, kinda. Earth's in something called the 'life zone'. If we were any closer to the Sun, we would burn up. If we were any further, we would freeze. That's why its so sad about pollution and stuff. :)