What Causes the Seasons?

Imagine Earth is like a spinning top, and the Sun is shining on it. Sometimes Earth tilts so that one side gets more sunlight, that’s summer! When it tilts the other way, that same side gets less sunlight, that’s winter! The seasons change as Earth moves around the Sun.

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Examples

  1. Imagine Earth as a spinning top; when it tilts toward the Sun, it's like being in the sun’s spotlight, that's summer! When it tilts away, you're like someone standing in the shade, that's winter!
  2. If you live near the North Pole and it's summer, the days are super long. In winter, there might be no sunlight at all for months.
  3. Imagine you’re holding a lamp with your head tilted slightly. If the lamp is directly overhead, it feels bright. But if it’s to one side, it feels dimmer, that's like living in a different season.

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Categories: Science · Earth· Astronomy· Weather · Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.