The change in seasons on the earth occurs because

The seasons are a powerful force in our lives. They affect the activities we do, the foods we crave, the clothes we wear — and quite often, the moods we are in. The seasons officially change once again on Saturday, with summer beginning in the Northern Hemisphere and winter starting in the south. What is it that causes the change in seasons? The ability to predict the seasons — by tracking the rising and setting points of the sun throughout the year — was key to survival in ancient times. The Babylonians, the Maya and other cultures developed complex systems for monitoring seasonal shifts. But it took centuries more to unravel the science behind the seasons. Nicolai Copernicus (1473-1543) radically changed our understanding of astronomy when he proposed that the sun, not Earth, was the center of the solar system. This led to our modern understanding of the relationship between the sun and Earth. We now know that Earth orbits the sun elliptically and, at the same time, spins on an axis that is tilted relative to its plane of orbit. This means that different hemispheres are exposed to different amounts of sunlight throughout the year. Because the sun is our source of light, energy and heat, the changing intensity and concentration of its rays give rise to the seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall. Solstices and equinoxes The seasons are marked by solstices and equinoxes — astronomical terms that relate to Earth’s tilt. The solstices mark the points at which the poles ar...

Each season brings different types of weather. Why does this happen and how does it affect the world around us? In this article you can find out: • Why the seasons change • What kinds of weather we get with each season • How the seasons affect animals and plants This resource is suitable for Weather topics for P2, P3, P4, P5, P6 and P7 (First and Second Level Curriculum for Excellence). Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter. Each season brings different kinds of weather that affect our lives and the world around us. The seasons are caused by the way the Earth is tilted. The parts of the Earth tilted towards the sun get more of the sun's heat and light. The parts of the world, which are tilted away, get less of the sun’s heat and light. The Earth takes a full year to go around the sun. As it does, places that are tilted towards the sun change. During summer, the northern half of the Earth, including the UK is tilted towards the sun. The Earth’s tilt in summer means that our days are longer and so the sun is in the sky for more hours. The ground and air are heated, so the temperature is higher, and it feels warmer. So we can play outside more. And more light means that plants can grow. In autumn the UK begins to tilt away from the sun. With less sunlight, the temperature starts to drop and the days get shorter. Trees leaves start to change colour. The end of autumn can bring stormy conditions along with strong gales. For some animals, like hedgehogs, finding food in the cold dark w...

A season is a period of the year that is distinguished by special climate conditions. The four seasons—spring, summer, fall, and winter—follow one another regularly. Each has its own light, temperature, and weather patterns that repeat yearly. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter generally begins on December 21 or 22. This is the winter solstice, the day of the year with the shortest period of daylight. Summer begins on June 20 or 21, the summer solstice, which has the most daylight of any day in the year. Spring and fall, or autumn, begin on equinoxes, days that have equal amounts of daylight and darkness. The vernal, or spring, equinox falls on March 20 or 21, and the autumnal equinox is on September 22 or 23. The seasons in the Northern Hemisphere are the opposite of those in the Southern Hemisphere. This means that in Argentina and Australia, winter begins in June. The winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere is June 20 or 21, while the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, is December 21 or 22. Seasons occur because Earth is tilted on its axis relative to the orbital plane, the invisible, flat disc where most objects in the solar system orbit the sun. Earth’s axis is an invisible line that runs through its center, from pole to pole. Earth rotates around its axis. In June, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, the sun’s rays hit it for a greater part of the day than in winter. This means it gets more hours of daylight. In December, when the Nor...

The four seasons are spring, summer, fall (autumn), and winter. ©bigstockphoto.com/iluzia The Four Seasons The Earth's axis is In most cultures, including all western countries, the year is commonly divided into four seasons: • Spring • Summer • Fall or Autumn • Winter Since the year has astronomical definition and the meteorological definition. Astronomical Seasons The astronomical definition uses the dates of • Spring begins on the • Summer begins on the • Fall (autumn) begins on the • Winter begins on the The beginning of each season marks the end of the last. Because the timings of the equinoxes and solstices change each year, the length of astronomical seasons within a year and between years also vary. Meteorological Seasons According to the meteorological definition, the seasons begin on the first day of the months that include the equinoxes and solstices. In the • spring runs from March1 to May31; • summer runs from June1 to August31; • fall (autumn) runs from September1 to November30; and • winter runs from December1 to February28 (February29 in a When the Northern Hemisphere gets most sunlight (summer), the Southern Hemisphere gets least (winter). ©timeanddate.com Opposite Sides – Opposite Seasons Seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere. For example, under the definition of astronomical seasons, the The meteorological seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are also opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere: • spring start...

• Afrikaans • العربية • ܐܪܡܝܐ • Arpetan • অসমীয়া • Asturianu • Avañe'ẽ • Авар • Azərbaycanca • تۆرکجه • বাংলা • Bân-lâm-gú • Беларуская • भोजपुरी • Български • བོད་ཡིག • Bosanski • Brezhoneg • Català • Чӑвашла • Čeština • ChiShona • Corsu • Cymraeg • Dansk • Deutsch • डोटेली • ཇོང་ཁ • Eesti • Ελληνικά • Español • Esperanto • Euskara • فارسی • Français • Frysk • Furlan • Gaeilge • Galego • ГӀалгӀай • 客家語/Hak-kâ-ngî • 한국어 • Հայերեն • हिन्दी • Hrvatski • Ido • Bahasa Indonesia • Interlingua • Interlingue • Íslenska • Italiano • עברית • ಕನ್ನಡ • Къарачай-малкъар • ქართული • Қазақша • Kiswahili • Kreyòl ayisyen • Kurdî • Kwanyama • Ladin • Лакку • ລາວ • Latina • Latviešu • Лезги • Lietuvių • Limburgs • Lingála • Magyar • मैथिली • Македонски • Malagasy • മലയാളം • मराठी • მარგალური • Bahasa Melayu • မြန်မာဘာသာ • Na Vosa Vakaviti • Nederlands • Nēhiyawēwin / ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ • नेपाली • नेपाल भाषा • 日本語 • Napulitano • Нохчийн • Nordfriisk • Norsk bokmål • Norsk nynorsk • Nouormand • Occitan • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ • Pangasinan • پښتو • Picard • Polski • Português • Ripoarisch • Română • Runa Simi • Русский • Саха тыла • Sakizaya • संस्कृतम् • ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ • Sardu • Scots • Sesotho sa Leboa • Shqip • Sicilianu • Simple English • Slovenčina • Slovenščina • Soomaaliga • کوردی • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Sunda • Suomi • Svenska • Tagalog • தமிழ் • Taclḥit • Taqbaylit • Татарча / tatarça • Tayal • ไทย • Türkçe • Türkmençe • Tyap • Удмурт • Українська • اردو • ئۇيغۇرچە / Uyghurche • Vahcuen...

• Afrikaans • العربية • ܐܪܡܝܐ • Arpetan • অসমীয়া • Asturianu • Avañe'ẽ • Авар • Azərbaycanca • تۆرکجه • বাংলা • Bân-lâm-gú • Беларуская • भोजपुरी • Български • བོད་ཡིག • Bosanski • Brezhoneg • Català • Чӑвашла • Čeština • ChiShona • Corsu • Cymraeg • Dansk • Deutsch • डोटेली • ཇོང་ཁ • Eesti • Ελληνικά • Español • Esperanto • Euskara • فارسی • Français • Frysk • Furlan • Gaeilge • Galego • ГӀалгӀай • 客家語/Hak-kâ-ngî • 한국어 • Հայերեն • हिन्दी • Hrvatski • Ido • Bahasa Indonesia • Interlingua • Interlingue • Íslenska • Italiano • עברית • ಕನ್ನಡ • Къарачай-малкъар • ქართული • Қазақша • Kiswahili • Kreyòl ayisyen • Kurdî • Kwanyama • Ladin • Лакку • ລາວ • Latina • Latviešu • Лезги • Lietuvių • Limburgs • Lingála • Magyar • मैथिली • Македонски • Malagasy • മലയാളം • मराठी • მარგალური • Bahasa Melayu • မြန်မာဘာသာ • Na Vosa Vakaviti • Nederlands • Nēhiyawēwin / ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ • नेपाली • नेपाल भाषा • 日本語 • Napulitano • Нохчийн • Nordfriisk • Norsk bokmål • Norsk nynorsk • Nouormand • Occitan • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ • Pangasinan • پښتو • Picard • Polski • Português • Ripoarisch • Română • Runa Simi • Русский • Саха тыла • Sakizaya • संस्कृतम् • ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ • Sardu • Scots • Sesotho sa Leboa • Shqip • Sicilianu • Simple English • Slovenčina • Slovenščina • Soomaaliga • کوردی • Српски / srpski • Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски • Sunda • Suomi • Svenska • Tagalog • தமிழ் • Taclḥit • Taqbaylit • Татарча / tatarça • Tayal • ไทย • Türkçe • Türkmençe • Tyap • Удмурт • Українська • اردو • ئۇيغۇرچە / Uyghurche • Vahcuen...

Each season brings different types of weather. Why does this happen and how does it affect the world around us? In this article you can find out: • Why the seasons change • What kinds of weather we get with each season • How the seasons affect animals and plants This resource is suitable for Weather topics for P2, P3, P4, P5, P6 and P7 (First and Second Level Curriculum for Excellence). Spring. Summer. Autumn. Winter. Each season brings different kinds of weather that affect our lives and the world around us. The seasons are caused by the way the Earth is tilted. The parts of the Earth tilted towards the sun get more of the sun's heat and light. The parts of the world, which are tilted away, get less of the sun’s heat and light. The Earth takes a full year to go around the sun. As it does, places that are tilted towards the sun change. During summer, the northern half of the Earth, including the UK is tilted towards the sun. The Earth’s tilt in summer means that our days are longer and so the sun is in the sky for more hours. The ground and air are heated, so the temperature is higher, and it feels warmer. So we can play outside more. And more light means that plants can grow. In autumn the UK begins to tilt away from the sun. With less sunlight, the temperature starts to drop and the days get shorter. Trees leaves start to change colour. The end of autumn can bring stormy conditions along with strong gales. For some animals, like hedgehogs, finding food in the cold dark w...

The seasons are a powerful force in our lives. They affect the activities we do, the foods we crave, the clothes we wear — and quite often, the moods we are in. The seasons officially change once again on Saturday, with summer beginning in the Northern Hemisphere and winter starting in the south. What is it that causes the change in seasons? The ability to predict the seasons — by tracking the rising and setting points of the sun throughout the year — was key to survival in ancient times. The Babylonians, the Maya and other cultures developed complex systems for monitoring seasonal shifts. But it took centuries more to unravel the science behind the seasons. Nicolai Copernicus (1473-1543) radically changed our understanding of astronomy when he proposed that the sun, not Earth, was the center of the solar system. This led to our modern understanding of the relationship between the sun and Earth. We now know that Earth orbits the sun elliptically and, at the same time, spins on an axis that is tilted relative to its plane of orbit. This means that different hemispheres are exposed to different amounts of sunlight throughout the year. Because the sun is our source of light, energy and heat, the changing intensity and concentration of its rays give rise to the seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall. Solstices and equinoxes The seasons are marked by solstices and equinoxes — astronomical terms that relate to Earth’s tilt. The solstices mark the points at which the poles ar...

The four seasons are spring, summer, fall (autumn), and winter. ©bigstockphoto.com/iluzia The Four Seasons The Earth's axis is In most cultures, including all western countries, the year is commonly divided into four seasons: • Spring • Summer • Fall or Autumn • Winter Since the year has astronomical definition and the meteorological definition. Astronomical Seasons The astronomical definition uses the dates of • Spring begins on the • Summer begins on the • Fall (autumn) begins on the • Winter begins on the The beginning of each season marks the end of the last. Because the timings of the equinoxes and solstices change each year, the length of astronomical seasons within a year and between years also vary. Meteorological Seasons According to the meteorological definition, the seasons begin on the first day of the months that include the equinoxes and solstices. In the • spring runs from March1 to May31; • summer runs from June1 to August31; • fall (autumn) runs from September1 to November30; and • winter runs from December1 to February28 (February29 in a When the Northern Hemisphere gets most sunlight (summer), the Southern Hemisphere gets least (winter). ©timeanddate.com Opposite Sides – Opposite Seasons Seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere. For example, under the definition of astronomical seasons, the The meteorological seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are also opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere: • spring start...

A season is a period of the year that is distinguished by special climate conditions. The four seasons—spring, summer, fall, and winter—follow one another regularly. Each has its own light, temperature, and weather patterns that repeat yearly. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter generally begins on December 21 or 22. This is the winter solstice, the day of the year with the shortest period of daylight. Summer begins on June 20 or 21, the summer solstice, which has the most daylight of any day in the year. Spring and fall, or autumn, begin on equinoxes, days that have equal amounts of daylight and darkness. The vernal, or spring, equinox falls on March 20 or 21, and the autumnal equinox is on September 22 or 23. The seasons in the Northern Hemisphere are the opposite of those in the Southern Hemisphere. This means that in Argentina and Australia, winter begins in June. The winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere is June 20 or 21, while the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, is December 21 or 22. Seasons occur because Earth is tilted on its axis relative to the orbital plane, the invisible, flat disc where most objects in the solar system orbit the sun. Earth’s axis is an invisible line that runs through its center, from pole to pole. Earth rotates around its axis. In June, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, the sun’s rays hit it for a greater part of the day than in winter. This means it gets more hours of daylight. In December, when the Nor...