Introduction:
"What causes the crazy climate changes that occur every year on Earth? From Summer to Winter." - Alexa Guevara
The Earth has seasons because it is tilted about 23.5 degrees from straight up and down. Think of the Earth as a spinning top, tipped over to one side. It remains tipped in the same direction as it travels around the Sun. This means that sometimes the northern hemisphere of the Earth is pointing towards the Sun, and sometimes it is pointing away.
When the northern half of the Earth is pointing towards theSun, the northern hemisphere of the Earth gets more direct sunlight. We call this the "summer" season for the north. At this same time, the southern half of the Earth is pointed away from the Sun, so people in the southern hemisphere get less direct sunlight. We call this, "winter" for the southern hemisphere. So, because of the tilt of the Earth's axis, the seasons in the south are the opposite of those in the north.
Suppose the Earth's axis was not tilted. Then everybody would have the same season all year round! No more summer and winter! The Moon isonly tipped over about 5 degrees. Since it has such a small tilt, each spot on the Moon has the same, "season" all year.
Even
if the Moon had
seasons, they would differ from seasons on the Earth. The Moon has no
atmosphere. Hence, many of the weather phenomena which we associate
with seasons (wind, rain, and snow, for example) cannot occur on the
Moon.
Vocabulary:
- Seasons - Climatic changes caused by the tilted axis of the Earth, facing or facing away to the Sun.
- Axis - An imaginary line, perpendicular to the track, along which Earth or any sphere rotates.
- Rotation - A rotation, is a movement of an object in a circular motion on it's axis.
- Revolution - The movement of an object around another in a orbit.
Credits to http://www.onr.navy.mil for seasons Flash app. Please do not sue me!
Website made for Peabody school 8th grade science class of 08'
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