What is the purpose of the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn?

Answer 1

The Tropic of Cancer represents a line around the earth at 23 degrees 26 minutes north latitude, signifying that this is the farthest north that the Sun reaches.

The Tropic of Capricorn lies at a similar latitude south of the equator. The area between these lines is referred to as "the tropics".

Answer 2

The Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn define the Tropics, as well as mark the northernmost and southernmost latitudes at which the Sun shines directly overhead at midday during the June slostice and December solstice respectively.

Answer 3

Because of the 23.5 degree axial tilt of the earth in the plane in which it orbits the Sun, over the course of the year the Sun's directly overhead position at mid day (90 degress) moves north and south of the equator. The firthest point North that this overhad position reaches is the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees North) and the furthest point south is the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees south). Between these two latitudes are the Earth's Tropics.

The sun reaches the the Tropic of Cancer around the 21st June and the Tropic of Capricorn around the 21st December.

The Sun thefore crosses the equator twice (the positions of Equinox) around March 20/21 and September 22/23 each year.

At any latitude north or south of these two Tropic lines, the sun will never appear directly overhead.

Answer 4

The purpose of the theoretical lines known as Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn are simply to provide lines of definition for geographers and cartographers.

Answer 5

The tropic of cancer and the tropic od Capricorn are import for identifying the difference between the climates outside the equator. See also line of grenwich

Answer 6

They are the farthest possible north and south, respectively, where the sun can be directly overhead at a point on earth.