Insolation

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/insolation

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific term?Solar irradiance
2. What is the origin?Thermonuclear fusion within the Sun
3. Why does the amount of sunlight change at different times of day?The amount of sunlight changes because the sun’s angle, clouds, and tiny particles in the air can block or scatter light before it reaches the ground.
4. How do scientists measure how much sunlight hits the Earth?Scientists use special instruments called pyrheliometers to measure direct sunlight and pyranometers to measure the total sunlight that reaches the surface.

Solar Irradiance: The amount of solar power received per unit area, measured in watts per square meter.
Photovoltaic Effect: The process where light energy is converted directly into electrical energy in semiconductor materials.
Albedo: The measure of how much light that hits a surface is reflected without being absorbed.
Milankovitch Cycles: Long-term variations in Earth's orbit and axial tilt that affect the amount of solar radiation received.