Letter: Cyclical weather

In a previous letter, Locasto said that the seasons are caused by these variations, i.e. it’s summer when we’re closer to the sun and winter means we’re further away. In fact, our orbit is elliptical and our distance from the sun varies by about 3 million miles over the course of a year. Our Northern Hemisphere warmer seasons happen when the earth is at its farthest from the sun. That’s because the earth’s axis isn’t perpendicular to its orbit — it’s “tilted” about 23.5 degrees. So during our summer, even though we’re at the farthest point away from the sun in our orbit, the Northern Hemisphere is “facing” the sun and absorbs more solar radiation. Conversely, during our winter months, the Southern Hemisphere is facing the sun and thus it’s warmer in the south during the northern summer.

And if Al Gore has the power to make 97 percent of the scientists and studies show that the earth is warming due to the rapid burning of fossil fuels, how come he couldn’t get one more Supreme Court justice to agree to let Florida complete its vote tally and let the winner of the popular vote become the president?

Tim Murphy

San Carlos