Question

Look at the four positions of Earth with respect to the sun.

The Gulf of Mexico is located on the Tropic of Cancer. At what position of Earth will the sun be exactly overhead at the Gulf of Mexico?

Position 1

Position 2

Position 3

Position 4

Answer 1

The sun will be directly overhead at the Gulf of Mexico on the Tropic of Cancer during Earth's position 2, which correlates with the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere around June 21.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Gulf of Mexico is situated at the Tropic of Cancer which is located 23.5 degrees north of the equator. This latitude is significant because it is the most northerly circle of latitude on Earth at which the sun can be directly overhead. This happens during the summer solstice, which occurs on or about June 21 each year in the Northern Hemisphere. On this date, the Earth's axial tilt is such that the sun's rays strike the Tropic of Cancer at a perpendicular angle, causing the sun to appear at the zenith (directly overhead) at noon to observers located there.

To answer the student's question, the sun will be exactly overhead at the Gulf of Mexico, on the Tropic of Cancer, at Earth's position 2, assuming that the positions are referring to the different tilts of the Earth during its orbit around the sun and position 2 correlates with the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.

Answer 2

Position 4

Step-by-step explanation:

If the image used is the one I uploaded here, then it's position 4 because I got it right on the quiz.