Seasons: Earth's Orbit and Tilt

Seasons: Earth's Journey Around the Sun

• Seasons are yearly weather patterns that occur due to Earth's position and movement around the Sun.
• The four main seasons are Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring.
• Each season lasts approximately three months.
• Earth's tilt, which is 23.5 degrees, is the reason for the different seasons throughout the year.

Learning Objectives

• Understanding the seasons and why they occur
• Identifying the four seasons and their key characteristics.
• Learning how Earth's movement impacts seasons.
• Recognizing differences in seasons between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

What are Seasons?

• Seasons are cyclical changes in weather patterns over a year's time.
• The changes are a result of Earth's orbit around the Sun and its tilted axis.
• The tilt makes some parts of Earth closer to the Sun at any given time, resulting in different amounts of sunlight received, and thus, different temperatures.

Summer: The Hottest Season

• Summer is the warmest season of the year.
• It has the most daylight hours.
• Summer temperatures are generally warm.
• There are many outdoor activities that can be enjoyed during the Summer.

Autumn/Fall: The Cooling Season

• Also known as Fall.
• Weather gets noticeably cooler.
• Daylight hours shorten.
• Leaves on trees change color and fall off.

Winter: The Coldest Season

• The coldest season of the year.
• The fewest amount of daylight hours.
• Some areas experience snowfall.
• Many animals hibernate during winter.

Spring: The Warming Season

• Weather begins warming up.
• Daylight hours increase.
• Plants begin to grow and bloom.
• Animals become more active.

Earth's Movement: Rotation and Revolution

• Earth rotates on its axis, causing day and night (around 24 hours).
• Earth revolves around the Sun in one year (approximately 365 days).
• Earth's axis is tilted at an angle, which is the cause of seasons.

Northern and Southern Hemispheres

• Earth is divided into two hemispheres: Northern and Southern.
• Seasons are reversed in the two hemispheres.
• When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.
• This is due to the tilt of Earth's axis.

How Earth's Tilt Affects Seasons

• Earth's tilt causes one hemisphere to face the Sun more directly, causing summer for that hemisphere.
• When the opposite hemisphere faces away, it experiences winter.
• Spring and Autumn occur when both hemispheres receive similar amounts of sunlight.

Cool Fact: Extreme Seasons at the Poles

• Seasons near the poles are extreme.
• The poles experience several months of constant daylight during summer.
• In winter, the poles experience numerous months of constant darkness.
• These extreme conditions affect the plants and animals that live there.

Explore the science behind Earth's seasons, driven by our planet's orbit and axial tilt. Learn about the defining characteristics of Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Understand how these seasons result from the varying amounts of sunlight received throughout the year.