Winter is typically cold because the planet's 23.44° tilt on its axis compared to its orbital plane causes the angle of the sun's rays to hit directly on different latitudes of the planet during different times of the year as it revolves. During the winter season the sun's rays therefore hit at a greater angle in the atmosphere and not only does it take the rays longer to get to the planet which means the atmosphere has longer to dissipate the heat of the rays as they travel through it but it also means the solar radiation itself is spread out over a larger area. (That means it gets less sunlight in one single area to heat it up compared to summer days. Just in case...) This is based off the Earth's statistics. Which, presumably, we're on.
With me so far?
Winter usually means snowfall and ice in many areas. Like here for instance. Snow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Ice is a solid phase, usually crystalline, of a non-metallic substance that is liquid or gas at room temperature. Water ice is actually what we're talking about here so... technically we're just restricted to one of the fifteen known crystalline phases of water. In non-scientific contexts, it usually describes ice Ih, which is known to be the most abundant of these phases. The most common phase transition to ice Ih occurs when liquid water is cooled below 0 °C (273.15 K, 32 °F) at standard atmospheric pressure. It can also deposit from a vapor with no intervening liquid phase, such as in the formation of frost.
With me so far?
Winter usually means snowfall and ice in many areas. Like here for instance. Snow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Ice is a solid phase, usually crystalline, of a non-metallic substance that is liquid or gas at room temperature. Water ice is actually what we're talking about here so... technically we're just restricted to one of the fifteen known crystalline phases of water. In non-scientific contexts, it usually describes ice Ih, which is known to be the most abundant of these phases. The most common phase transition to ice Ih occurs when liquid water is cooled below 0 °C (273.15 K, 32 °F) at standard atmospheric pressure. It can also deposit from a vapor with no intervening liquid phase, such as in the formation of frost.
...Feeling educated today yet?
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We have a mutual friend if I'm guessing correctly. (Which I always do.) I hear he's asleep right now. Poor Perseph...
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Yes--Robin. I... really hope he'll be okay.
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Me too.
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You, Mr. Stark, are incredibly geeky.
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I am not "geeky." I'm just very intelligent and have a large capacity for useless information.
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