Earth’s Revolution and Seasons (WebGL)




 

Earth Rotation and Seasonal Changes

The Earth’s rotation axis is tilted at an angle of about 23.5 ° to the orbital axis. Because of this inclination, seasonal changes occur like spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

The sun illuminates the northern hemisphere more in June-August. So, the northern hemisphere becomes summer, and the southern hemisphere becomes winter. Six months later, the sun will illuminate the southern hemisphere more. So, the northern hemisphere will be winter, and the southern hemisphere will be summer.

Is it hot in the summer because the earth gets closer to the sun?

No.
In the northern hemisphere, the sun is a little further away in summer.
The summer is hot. Not because of the sun’s distance but the high altitude of the sun. Because of the sun’s high altitude, the amount of solar radiation per unit area is greater.