Why Do We Have ‘Seasons’ and How Are They Related to Earth’s Orbit?

Imagine Earth is like a spinning top that also moves in a big circle around the Sun. Sometimes one side of the Earth gets more sunlight, and that's summer. When it turns to the other side, we get less light, that’s winter! This happens because Earth is tilted on its axis as it goes around the Sun. So even though Earth is always moving, we have seasons because of how much sunlight each part of the planet receives at different times of the year.

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Examples

If Earth were not tilted, we would always have the same kind of weather all year round, like having summer every day.
A child playing with a flashlight and a globe can see how the light hits different parts of the globe depending on its tilt.
Imagine Earth is a spinning top that wobbles as it goes around the Sun, making one side warm and the other cold at different times.

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Categories: Science · seasons,earth orbit,astronomy