why is it hot at the equatator?

Question

why is the equator hot?

Answer 1

Because the area along the equator receives most of the sun's rays. Remember that the earth is tilted at an angle, exposing the equator.

Answer 2

It has nothing to do with the equator being closer to the sun. That difference would be insignificant. As one pointed out, the earth's axis is tilted. During the course of a year the path of the sun goes from tropic to tropic and back again. The equator is midway between the tropics. This means it is the latitude line for which the sun has the highest average altitude.
The higher altitude of the sun's path means more direct sunlight on the surface of the earth. So that latitude will be the hottest. For me, at 39 degrees north, the sun at it's highest point will never exceed an altitude of 84 degrees. At the tropics it will reach 90 degrees, (straight up), only on one solstice. But at the equator, it's maximum daily altitude never drops below 76.5 degrees.
Keep in mind, that because of local conditions which may have warming or cooling effects, there are places away from the equator which are typically hotter than many places on the equator.
And j3nn, that is not true. The equator is only the closest at the equinoxes. Right now, around the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, the tropic of cancer is the closest to the sun. The sun, right now, passes straight overhead at the tropic of cancer, not at the equator.

Answer 3

It's hot at the equator because the air currents generated by the spin of the earth are almost non-existant.

The reason for the almost non-existant air currents at and near the equator are due to the earth's spin. The northern hemisphere air currents are usually in a clockwise rotation as found with hurricane rotation directions. The southern hemisphere has a wind rotational direction that's counter-clockwise due the earths rotation.

At the equator the wind rotation direction is zero because the northern and southern air current rotations are cancelled out by the opposing directions of their spin.

Answer 4

The equator is at the center of the earth and because the earth is tilted on an axis the equator is the closest spot on the earth to the sun at all times this is why it is so hot at the equator.

Answer 5

For the love of god people think about scale!!!!!!!
The sun is 93,000,000 miles from the Earth. The radius of the Earth is almost 4,000 miles. The closeness of the equator to the sun compared to that of the poles is negligible compared to the distance to the sun.

The equator is hotter than the regions closer to the poles because it receives more direct rays throughout the year whereas other regions receive indirect rays -- the poles receiving the most indirect rays.

Answer 6

it is closer to the sun and also exposed to the son all of the time in every season where the polar areas are farthest away from the son can 6 months of the year have minimum sunlight.

Answer 7

because its the closest to the sun, no matter how the earth rotates on its axis...the equator is always the closest.

Answer 8

Because sun is always shining on it.

Answer 9

because the ecuator is in the tropical cancer

Answer 10

because it is the nearest to the sun?