tropic of Cancer
Post your question to the WikiAnswers community.
Did you mean: tropic of Cancer (geographical area), Tropic of Cancer (novel), Tropic of Cancer (BBC TV series), Tropic of Cancer (1970 Drama Film)
| Dictionary: tropic of Cancer |
n.
The parallel of latitude 23°27′ north of the equator, the northern boundary of the Torrid Zone, and the most northerly latitude at which the sun can shine directly overhead.
| 5min Related Video: why do they call it the tropic of cancer |
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Tropic of Cancer |
For more information on Tropic of Cancer, visit Britannica.com.
| Sci-Tech Encyclopedia: Tropic of Cancer |
The parallel of latitude about 23½° (23.45°) north of the Equator. The importance of this line lies in the fact that its degree of angle from the Equator is the same as the inclination of the Earth's axis from the vertical to the plane of the ecliptic. Because of this inclination of the axis and the revolution of the Earth in its orbit, the vertical overhead rays of the Sun may progress as far north as 23½°. At no place north of the Tropic of Cancer will the Sun, at noon, be 90° overhead.
On June 21, the summer solstice (Northern Hemisphere), the Sun is vertical above the Tropic of Cancer. On this same day the Sun is 47° above the horizon at noon at the Arctic Circle, and at the Tropic of Capricorn, only 43° above the horizon. The Tropic of Cancer is the northern boundary of the equatorial zone called the tropics, which lies between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. See also Latitude and longitude; Mathematical geography; Solstice.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: Tropic of Cancer |
Tropic of Cancer, parallel of latitude at 23°30′ north of the equator; it is the northern boundary of the tropics. This parallel marks the farthest point north at which the sun can be seen directly overhead at noon; north of the parallel the sun appears less than 90° from the southern horizon at any day of the year. The sun reaches its vertical position over the Tropic of Cancer at about June 22, the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. When the Tropic of Cancer was named, the sun was in the constellation Cancer at the time of the summer solstice.
| Geography: Tropic of Cancer |
| Wikipedia: Tropic of Cancer |
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2009) |
Coordinates: 23°26′22″N 0°0′0″W / 23.43944°N 0°E
- For the novel by Henry Miller, see Tropic of Cancer (novel).
The Tropic of Cancer, or the Northern tropic, is one of five major degree measures or major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the northmost latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead at noon. This event occurs at the June solstice, when the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun to its maximum extent.
Contents |
Geography
The Tropic of Cancer currently lies 23° 26′ 22″ north of the Equator. North of this latitude are the subtropics and the North Temperate Zone. The equivalent line of latitude south of the Equator is called the Tropic of Capricorn, and the region between the two, centered on the Equator, is the tropics.
The position of the Tropic of Cancer is not fixed, but rather it varies in a complicated manner over time; see under circles of latitude for information.
Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the Tropic of Cancer passes through:
Name
The imaginary line is called the Tropic of Cancer because when it was named the sun was in the direction of the constellation Cancer (Latin for crab) at the June solstice. However, this is no longer true due to the precession of the equinoxes. According to International Astronomical Union boundaries, the Sun now is in Taurus at the June solstice. According to sidereal astrology, which divides the zodiac into 12 equal parts, the Sun is in Gemini at that time. The word "tropic" itself comes from the Greek tropos, meaning turn, referring to the fact that the sun appears to "turn back" at the solstices.
According to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale's rules, for a flight to compete for a round-the-world speed record, it must cover a distance no less than the length of the Tropic of Cancer, as well as cross all of the meridians, and end on the same airfield where it started. This length is set to be 36,787.559 kilometers - a number which implies a precision that certainly does not exist, considering the variations of the Tropic of Cancer as described above.
For an ordinary circumnavigation the rules are somewhat relaxed and the distance is set to a rounded value of at least 37,000 kilometers.
External links
See also
 |
Look up tropic of cancer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
|
|||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Tropic of Cancer |
Did you mean: tropic of Cancer (geographical area), Tropic of Cancer (novel), Tropic of Cancer (BBC TV series), Tropic of Cancer (1970 Drama Film)
Learn More
 | Where's the tropic of cancer? Read answer... |
| Tropic of Cancer? Read answer... |
| Why is the tropic of cancer called the tropic of cancer? Read answer... |
Help us answer these
 | What is the tropic of cancer and the tropic of capricorn? |
| Tropic of cancer and the tropic of capricorn? |
| What is the tropical of cancer? |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Sci-Tech Encyclopedia. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
 |
| Geography. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tropic of Cancer". Read more |
 |
| Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
