Why there are summer and winter seasons?

In summary, the seasons are caused by the Earth's orbit around the sun. The Earth is closer to the sun in summer and farther away in winter.
  • #1
Hectix
2
0
Hello guys, can someone explain me the four seasons ? Why they repeat in same intervals every year ? I think of this:

Thanks
Untitled-1.png
 
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  • #2
Hectix said:
Hello guys, can someone explain me the four seasons ? Why they repeat in same intervals every year ? I think of this:

ThanksView attachment 93000
That picture is not the reason for the seasons (at least, not the whole story).

In fact, in the northern hemisphere, winter is just getting started when the Earth passes thru the perihelion (closest approach to the sun), somewhere along about January 3 or so. When summer is at its height in July in the northern hemisphere, the Earth is passing thru its aphelion (farthest point away from the sun). What is this sorcery?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perihelion_and_aphelion

It's explained here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Season
 
  • #3
Thanks
 
  • #4
As you suggested, the Earth's orbit is not perfectly circular, but it's not as an extreme elipse as your diagram suggests.
While that does make some difference to the overall amount of solar radiation arriving on Earth, that effect is vastly less than the effect produced by the Earth's axial tilt.
The effect of the axial tilt is such that in the northern hemisphere, 'Summer' in the polar regions is 6 months of continuous daylight, and winter is 6 months of darkness.
The same thing happens at the South pole, but the opposite way around, Summer in the northern hemisphere is winter in the south.
Outside of the polar regions there are longer days in summer, but the Sun does set for a while every day.
 
Last edited:
  • #5
rootone said:
As you suggested, the Earth's orbit is not perfectly circular, but it's not as an extreme elipse as your diagram suggests.
While that does make some difference to the overall amount of solar radiation arriving on Earth, that effect is vastly less than the effect produced by the Earth's axial tilt.
The effect of the axial tilt is such that in the northern hemisphere, 'Summer' in the polar regions is 6 months of continuous daylight, and winter is 6 months of darkness.
The same thing happens at the South pole, but the opposite way around, Summer in the northern hemisphere is winter in the south.
Outside of the polar regions there are longer days in summer, but the Sun does set for a while every day.

The orbital eccentricity of the Earth is about 0.017, which means that the Earth's max. and min distances from the sun differ by about 5 million km (out of about 150 million km average distance)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth
 

Related to Why there are summer and winter seasons?

1. Why do we have summer and winter seasons?

The changing of seasons is caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis. During the summer, the Earth is tilted towards the sun, which results in longer days and shorter nights. In the winter, the Earth is tilted away from the sun, resulting in shorter days and longer nights.

2. How does the tilt of the Earth's axis affect the seasons?

The tilt of the Earth's axis causes different parts of the Earth to receive varying amounts of direct sunlight throughout the year. This is why some areas experience summer while others experience winter at the same time.

3. What causes the temperature to change during the seasons?

The changing of seasons is also influenced by the Earth's elliptical orbit around the sun. When the Earth is closer to the sun, it receives more direct sunlight and experiences warmer temperatures. When it is farther away, it receives less direct sunlight and experiences cooler temperatures.

4. Why do some regions experience different seasons at different times?

The Earth's tilt and its orbit around the sun also cause the seasons to occur at different times in different regions. For example, when it is summer in the northern hemisphere, it is winter in the southern hemisphere.

5. Are there other factors that contribute to the changing of seasons?

Other factors such as the Earth's rotation, the angle of the sun's rays, and the amount of land versus water on the Earth's surface also play a role in the changing of seasons. However, the Earth's tilt and its elliptical orbit around the sun are the primary factors that determine the presence of summer and winter seasons.

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