Why are there seasons on earth

Why are there seasons on Earth

Many people think that the seasons are determined by the Earth’s proximity to the Sun, but this is not true. The changing of the seasons is influenced by the Earth’s tilt, not its proximity to the Sun.

This animated map by Eleanor Lutz visualizes the seasons on Earth, showing how changes in temperature affect ice levels in the Arctic as well as vegetation in general. It also highlights the cloud cover and sunlight that each hemisphere receives throughout the year, with each frame in the animation representing a month of time.

Why is the Earth tilted?

Unlike some planets, which sit completely vertical and rotate perpendicularly, the Earth rotates about an axis of 23.5 degrees.

But why? The generally accepted theory in the scientific community is the hypothesis of a giant impact. According to this theory, a celestial object called Teia collided with Earth many years ago, when the planet was still forming. Not only did this collision knock the Earth back into its tilted position – some believe that the dust and debris from this collision eventually formed our Moon.

Since then, our planet has been rotating at a slight tilt (which itself is not fixed, since it “oscillates” in cycles), giving us different seasons throughout the year.

How does the tilt of the Earth affect our seasons?

As our planet revolves around the Sun, it is always tilted in the same direction. Because of its tilt, different hemispheres receive different amounts of sunlight at different times of the year.

In December, the Earth is technically closer to the Sun than in June or July. However, because the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun in December, it is winter in that part of the planet.

The graph above, made by the Smithsonian Science and Education Center ( SSEC ), visualizes the Earth’s orbit throughout the year, showing when each hemisphere receives the most direct sunlight (and therefore experiences summer).

Impact of climate change

While our seasons have always been different, it is worth noting that climate change has affected our seasons and changed how much Arctic ice we lose each summer.

In the past, millions of miles of ice remained frozen during the summer months. In the 1980s, there were 3.8 million square miles of ice in July, about as much as Australia.

Over the years, Arctic sea ice has steadily declined. In July 2020, the ice cover was just 2.8 million square miles – a million less than it was four decades ago.

Some scientists predict that we could lose our summer sea ice completely by 2035, with devastating effects on Arctic wildlife and the indigenous people who live there.

#impact_of_climate_change #times_of_year

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Planets in solar system video

Our solar system is home to a variety of celestial objects, including planets, moons, asteroids, and even dwarf planets .

All of these objects differ from each other in many ways, but work in perfect unison. A comparative study of the various features of these celestial bodies gives us some interesting results.

The above animation from planetary scientist Dr. James O’Donoghue helps put the various objects in the solar system in perspective in terms of size, rotation speed, and the axial tilt at which they rotate.

Selected solar system objects to scale

With such a diverse solar system of planets and other celestial objects, there is no shortage of questions to think about. For example, what is the exact diameter of Jupiter or how fast is Pluto spinning?

To answer them, here is a comparison of some selected celestial bodies in our solar system, from the largest to the smallest:

Planets such as Venus or Pluto rotate in the opposite direction to the Earth, or retrograde, and are therefore marked with a negative symbol in front of their meanings.

Another interesting observation is that the Sun rotates around its axis only once in about 27 days and has an axial tilt of about 7.25 degrees from the axis of the Earth’s orbit. Consequently, we see the north pole of the Sun more often in September each year and the south pole in March.

How do the different objects compare to the Earth?

The Earth we live on is a unique planet in our solar system, containing water and air, and a place where living things thrive. But beyond these differences in surface level, is our home really different from other planets and celestial objects?

In the table below, we compare other nearby celestial bodies to Earth, using ratios-this time from lesser to greater:

Although Jupiter is about 11 times wider than Earth, its rotation period is only 0.4 times that of our planet, meaning it rotates at a much faster speed.

Venus, on the other hand, takes a slow and steady approach, taking 244 times as long to complete one revolution (compared to the background stars) compared to Earth.

#my solar system
#solar system planetarium
#solar system 2022

@webtrafficgury

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