Four Summer Equations
Contrary to many people's thoughts about seasons, summer is not due to the Earth being closer to the sun and vice versa for winter (these differences are extremely small). The Earth moves around the sun anti-clockwise in an elliptical orbit, with one revolution representing a year (365.256 days). To complete the orbit, Earth travels at an approximate speed of 67,000 miles an hour.
While we are orbiting around the Sun, we are also rotating around an imaginary axis of the earth, with one revolution representing one day. However, this axis that goes through the earth from the North Pole to the South Pole is not just up and down, but is on a tilt of 23.5°. This tilted axis is the primary cause of the four seasons of the year - spring, summer, …show more content…
This is due to the Sun not rising exactly in the east, but north of east and sets to the north of west. This allows it to be in the sky for a longer period of time.
Once the summer solstice ends, the Sun begins to follow a lower path through the sky, slowly decreasing more each day until it reaches the point where it is in the sky for exactly 12 hours. This is the Fall Equinox. Just like the Spring Equinox, the Sun will rise exactly east and set exactly west on this day and everyone in the world will experience a 12 hour day.
As the Earth continues along its path around the sun, its angle constantly shifts the North Pole away from the sun and the South Pole toward the sun.
The sun’s energy is more concentrated on the Northern Hemisphere during summer, when its rays hit the Earth more directly and are thus more intense. At the same time, the Southern Hemisphere is tilting away from the sun, causing the Sun’s rays to hit the area on more of an angle with less intensity. This creates winter in the Southern
While we are orbiting around the Sun, we are also rotating around an imaginary axis of the earth, with one revolution representing one day. However, this axis that goes through the earth from the North Pole to the South Pole is not just up and down, but is on a tilt of 23.5°. This tilted axis is the primary cause of the four seasons of the year - spring, summer, …show more content…
This is due to the Sun not rising exactly in the east, but north of east and sets to the north of west. This allows it to be in the sky for a longer period of time.
Once the summer solstice ends, the Sun begins to follow a lower path through the sky, slowly decreasing more each day until it reaches the point where it is in the sky for exactly 12 hours. This is the Fall Equinox. Just like the Spring Equinox, the Sun will rise exactly east and set exactly west on this day and everyone in the world will experience a 12 hour day.
As the Earth continues along its path around the sun, its angle constantly shifts the North Pole away from the sun and the South Pole toward the sun.
The sun’s energy is more concentrated on the Northern Hemisphere during summer, when its rays hit the Earth more directly and are thus more intense. At the same time, the Southern Hemisphere is tilting away from the sun, causing the Sun’s rays to hit the area on more of an angle with less intensity. This creates winter in the Southern