What is the latitude of the Tropic of Capricorn?

What is the latitude of the Tropic of Capricorn?

• A. 23.5 degrees North
• B. 23.5 degrees South
• C. 66.5 degrees North
• D. 66.5 degrees South

Answer: (B)

The important idea is how Earth’s tilt affects where the Sun can be directly overhead. The planet tilts about 23.5 degrees, so the Sun’s subsolar point—where it’s directly overhead at noon—moves between 23.5 degrees north and 23.5 degrees south of the equator over the year. The Tropic of Capricorn sits 23.5 degrees south of the equator, making it the southernmost latitude where the Sun can be directly overhead. This happens around the December solstice, which is summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The other options correspond to the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5 degrees north and the Arctic and Antarctic Circles at 66.5 degrees, which are boundary lines for polar day/night, not where the Sun is overhead.

The important idea is how Earth’s tilt affects where the Sun can be directly overhead. The planet tilts about 23.5 degrees, so the Sun’s subsolar point—where it’s directly overhead at noon—moves between 23.5 degrees north and 23.5 degrees south of the equator over the year. The Tropic of Capricorn sits 23.5 degrees south of the equator, making it the southernmost latitude where the Sun can be directly overhead. This happens around the December solstice, which is summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The other options correspond to the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5 degrees north and the Arctic and Antarctic Circles at 66.5 degrees, which are boundary lines for polar day/night, not where the Sun is overhead.