G3 Energy from the Sun (On Grade)_01

Ouch! The black hood of Dad’s car is extremely hot. The car has not been running, so why is it so hot? It all has to do with sunlight the car is sitting in. The Sun’s rays are raising the temperature of the car’s hood. Do you know why this happens? Of course you do! You learned it in Science class.

Recall what happens when light hits objects. Some light is reflected but not all. Some of the light is absorbed, meaning it takes it in. Dark objects absorb a lot of light as compared to lighter-colored objects. This means the lighter-colored objects will reflect more light.  Absorption is what gives us colors. Without the absorption of light, all objects would be white.

The Sun provides Earth with all its energy. Absorption can also make objects hot. That’s also why objects left in the Sun get warm. The light energy an object takes in turns into heat.  That’s right! Most things that give off light also give off heat. During the daylight hours, Earth’s atmosphere and surface receive sunlight. This sunlight causes the atmosphere and the surface to heat up. The air near Earth’s surface gets warm. At night, when the Sun is not present, the air cools down.

Earth gets its energy from the Sun. This energy must travel a very long way. It is 93 million miles from the Sun to Earth. The energy gets to the air above Earth first. This energy is what heats the air. The rest of the energy makes its way to the surface. The surface also absorbs energy. The land and the water are both warmed by the Sun.