🍂 Why Do We Have Seasons?
5th Grade 🔬 Science
We have seasons because Earth is tilted. As Earth travels around the Sun, first one half and then the other leans toward the Sun.
A tilted planet
Earth’s axis — the imaginary line it spins around — is tipped about 23.5 degrees. The tilt always points the same way in space as Earth circles the Sun once a year.
Summer and winter
When the Northern Hemisphere (where the United States is) leans toward the Sun, sunlight hits it more directly and days are longer: that is summer. Six months later it leans away, the light is weaker and days are shorter: winter.
Not about distance
Many people think seasons happen because Earth gets closer to the Sun. Actually, Earth is closest to the Sun in early January — during winter in the north! And when it is summer in the US, it is winter in Australia.
Quick quiz
What causes the seasons?
When it is summer in the US, what season is it in Australia?
How long does Earth take to go around the Sun?