What is the 40th parallel north?
Q: What is the 40th parallel north?
A: The 40th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 40 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane.
Q: Where does it cross?
A: It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Q: How long can the sun be seen at this latitude during summer solstice?
A: At this latitude, the sun can be seen for 15 hours, 1 minute during the summer solstice.
Q: How long can the sun be seen at this latitude during winter solstice?
A: During winter solstice, it can be seen for 9 hours, 20 minutes.
Q: What is an equatorial plane?
A: An equatorial plane is an imaginary line around Earth that divides it into two equal halves - one half in each hemisphere. It runs from pole to pole and passes through both geographic poles and its center point lies on Earth's Equator.
Q: What does "solstice" mean?
A: Solstice refers to either of two points on the celestial sphere where the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to Earth's Equator. This happens twice yearly when one hemisphere has its longest day (summer solstice) and shortest night (winter solstice) of the year.
