Because of the Earth’s tilt, Antarctica receives more rays from the Sun than any other land mass on the planet. However, because the continent is covered in snow, the white stuff reflects much of that energy back into the atmosphere—50 to 90 percent of it, in fact. Thus, Antarctica is extremely cold. This was not always the case, though. Millions of years ago, during the Jurassic Period, Antarctica was much closer to the equator. Indeed, scientists are discovering dinosaur fossils there.