The Seasons

9SCIE - Space

Finn Le Sueur

2024

Ngā Whāinga Ako

  1. Explain how the seasons are produced by an orbit

The Seasons

  • MISCONCEPTION: They are not caused by our distance from the sun changing
  • They are caused by Earth’s axial tilt of 23.5 degrees!

Reason 1: Sunlight Hours

  • Summer: the Southern Hemisphere (SH) is tilted towards the Sun, so we get more warming hours (sunlight) than cooling hours (nighttime). Therefore it is warm.
  • Winter: the SH is tilted away, so we get fewer warming hours than cooling hours, and therefore it is cold.
  • Places near the equator get a steady number of warming and cooling hours all year, so have consistent temperatures=!

Reason 2: Solar Flux

  • When the SH is tilted towards the Sun, it is higher in the sky. This means the sunlight is more direct and transfers more energy per square meter.
  • When the SH is tilted away, the Sun is lower in the sky and tranfers less energy per square meter.

Special Places

  • The sun does not rise for ~2.5 months at the North and South poles during their winters.
  • The equator always sees relatively direct sunlight (high in the sky) and so is always warm!

Mahi Kāinga

Education Perfect task due on Monday!