Tropic of Cancer

Scientific  

1. The parallel of latitude approximately 23°27′ north. It forms the boundary between the Torrid and North Temperate zones.

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Tropic of Cancer Cultural  

1. Imaginary line that circles the Earth about one-quarter of the way from the equator to the North Pole. The sun is directly overhead at the June solstice.

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Example Sentences

The Sun will be directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2024

When it’s a summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun appears directly over the Tropic of Cancer, the latitude line at 23.5 degrees North.

From National Geographic • Dec. 19, 2023

Geochemical evidence from ancient rocks suggests that zones of open ocean may have been present north of the Tropic of Cancer, a region that was previously considered too cold to host life during this period.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 4, 2023

At the summer solstice, direct light was about 1,500 miles to the north, on the Tropic of Cancer, thus the longer days and the stronger sun up our way.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 21, 2021

He opened up his briefcase and showed me all the books within, most of them on general science, but one of them a novel titled Tropic of Cancer.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam