Like on Venus: scientists have found the most irradiated place on Earth
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Scientists have found the place on Earth where the most sunlight falls. It’s almost like being on Venus. This place is located in South America, reports The Washington Post with reference to a study published in the journal Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Near the west coast of South America, at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters on the Altiplano plateau in the Atacama desert, scientists set a world record for solar radiation. According to researchers, 2,177 watts per square meter is almost twice the average on Earth. Map of solar radiation in 2011–2020. Photo: The Washington Post “This is the radiation you can get in the summer when you’re on Venus,” said study author Raul Cordero of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, adding that Venus is about 28 percent closer to the Sun than Earth. The author of the study explained that the cause of the super-powerful radiation is the clouds, which are thin and broken over the area and focus the Sun’s radiation on the surface. Normally, Cordero says, clouds block sunlight or reflect radiation back into space. According to the results of the study, clouds over the cape are able to increase solar radiation on the surface by up to 80% compared to cloudless conditions. According to NASA researcher Seiji Kato, who was not involved in the study, the radiation could also come from other sources of radiation. In particular, says Seiji Kato, it can be radiation through the atmosphere that does not depend on the Sun’s parameters. Thanks to it, adds Kato, people can be warmer on a cloudy day in winter than when it is clear outside. We previously reported that astronomers have observed comets falling on the Sun. Read also: Why “burnt” in the sun is always harmful? We disprove 6 myths about tanning
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