The Earth is at its farthest point from the Sun, called aphelion, at about which time of the year?
- A.3 January
- B.21 March
- C.4 July
- D.22 December
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, 4 July. The Earth's orbit is a slight ellipse, and it reaches aphelion, its greatest distance of about 152 million kilometres, in early July, while perihelion, its least distance of about 147 million kilometres, comes in early January. Option A, 3 January, is therefore perihelion and not aphelion, and it is the favourite trap of this question. Option B, 21 March, is the vernal equinox and option D, 22 December, the December solstice, and both belong to the tilt of the axis rather than to the shape of the orbit. The important conclusion for the exam is that the seasons are not caused by this change of distance, since the Northern Hemisphere has summer when the Earth is actually farthest from the Sun; the cause is the axial tilt of 23.5 degrees.
Read the full article: Gregorian Calendar, Leap Years, Solstices and Equinoxes
Practice Questions
View allWho introduced the Gregorian calendar, which is in civil use across most of the world today?
- A.Julius Caesar
- B.Pope Gregory XIII
- C.Sosigenes of Alexandria
- D.Emperor Augustus
Show answer
He issued the bull Inter gravissimas in February 1582 and the new calendar took effect that October, correcting the drift that had built up in the older system and tightening the rule for leap years.
Read the full explanation →How many days were omitted from the calendar when the Gregorian reform came into force in October 1582?
- A.7 days
- B.10 days
- C.11 days
- D.13 days
Show answer
Thursday, 4 October 1582 was followed immediately by Friday, 15 October 1582, so ten dates vanished while the sequence of weekdays continued unbroken; the correction was needed because the Julian year of 365.25 days was about eleven minutes too long and had pushed the spring equinox ten days out of…
Read the full explanation →Which of the following is NOT a leap year?
- A.1600
- B.2000
- C.1900
- D.2400
Show answer
Under the Gregorian rule a year divisible by four is a leap year, but a century year is a leap year only if it is also divisible by 400.
Read the full explanation →The Gregorian calendar was introduced to correct the errors of which earlier calendar?
- A.The Julian calendar
- B.The Saka calendar
- C.The Hijri calendar
- D.The Vikram Samvat
Show answer
The Julian calendar, in use from 46 BC, assumed a year of exactly 365.25 days, which is about eleven minutes longer than the true tropical year of roughly 365.2422 days, so it gained a day about every 128 years and the equinox slid out of place.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following calendars will be the same as the calendar for the year 2003?
- A.2014
- B.2013
- C.2012
- D.2011
Show answer
A year repeats another year's calendar when the odd days between them add up to a multiple of seven and both years are of the same kind, ordinary or leap.
Read the full explanation →