Reasons For the Seasons!
By: Gracie Jaggars
Rotation and Revolution
Through out a whole year (365 days which is one whole revolution around the sun) the seasons change four times. The seasons change from Winter, spring , summer, and fall. The season at a specific time depends on the amount of direct sunlight hitting our Earth as it revolves around the Sun. Seasons are made by the way Earth is tilted on its axis which takes 23.5 hours to complete one rotation(which is a what makes day and night), when it travels in a circular orbit around the Sun each year. Summer happens in the hemisphere tilted towards the Sun, and winter happens in the hemisphere tilted away from the Sun. As Earth travels around the Sun, the hemisphere that is tilted to or away from the Sun changes. The hemisphere that is tilted more towards the sun is warmer then the one facing away because the one facing towards the sun is getting more direct sunlight. Therefore the seasons don't necessarily change at the equator because the equator is always in the middle. So, This means that when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The hemisphere that is tilted towards the Sun has longer days and shorter nights. in the summer on June 21st is the longest day in the year and in the winter on December 21st is the shortest day of the year.
Digital illustrations of the Earths revolution around the Sun
Cause and Effect
If the earth was tilted to a greater degree, I believe that season would be much harsher. For the hemisphere experiencing winter would be tilted further back from the suns rays, while the hemisphere in summer would experience an awful lot of heat. A natural disaster such as an earthquake or a meteor hitting the earth it could change the tilt of our axis. If this happens then our seasons could change. If we were closer to the sun there would not be seasons, or human life. This is true because our earth is in the perfect spot down to the last decimal in the distance between us and the sun. if we were closer we would more then likely scorch to death. Yes, because of the way the earth is hitting down on the earth in a specific season. When seasons change and animals go into hibernation or something of that matter, I believe they know to do these things by the change in the supply of their common food resources and the temperature of the water they drink since temperature does vary by season. Also, if the revolution on earth were to speed up (meaning that we would orbit the Sun in a shorter time period) that the seasons wouldn't necessarily change to much besides the fact that the seasons would just be shorter.