Seasons in The Sun : Questions

Seasons in the Sun…
Questions:
• What causes the seasons?

• How do we mark the progression of the
seasons?
• What is the seasonal motion of the sun in
the sky ?
• What could cause the seasonal motion of
the sun to change over time ?
What causes the seasons?
John, who lives in Canada, claims that in June it is

summer in Canada because the sun is closest to the
Earth at this time.
Maya, who lives in Australia claims that in December it

is summer in Australia because the sun is closest to the
Earth at this time.
How to resolve this contradiction ?
• Seasons are opposite in the N and S

hemispheres, so distance cannot be the
reason.
• The real reason for seasons involves Earth’s
axis tilt.
1
Direct light causes more heating.

Seasons depend on how the tilt of the Earth’s axis
affects the directness of sunlight
Axis tilt changes directness of sunlight during the year.

• The tilt of the earths rotation axis relative to the plane
of its orbit remains constant, so its orientation relative to
the sun changes.
2
• This means that for half the year the Northern
Hemisphere is tilted more towards the sun and for the
other half of the year the Southern Hemisphere is tilted
more towards the sun.

• The Hemisphere receiving more direct sunlight will
experience summer, the other Hemisphere, winter.

• Although the Hemisphere tilted towards the sun is
‘closer’ to the sun, this difference in distance of the two
hemispheres is a tiny effect. AXIS TILT is the key to the
seasons; without it, we would not have seasons on Earth.
3
Marking the progression of seasons
We define four special points:
• summer solstice: June 21
• winter solstice: December 21
• spring (vernal) equinox: March 21
• fall (autumnal) equinox: September 22
How do we mark the progression of the seasons?

Summer solstice: June 21
Day when Northern Hemisphere is maximally tilted towards

the sun and gets most direct sun.
The Sun appears to be directly overhead at noon for places

situated at latitude 23.44 degrees north, known as the Tropic
of Cancer. (Why?)
4
Places situated at latitude 66.56 degrees north, known as the

arctic circle will see the Sun just on the horizon during
midnight, and all places north of it will see the Sun above
horizon at any time of the day.
Places situated at latitude 66.56 degrees south, known as the

antarctic circle will see the Sun just on the horizon during
midday, and all places south of it will not see the Sun above
Winter solstice: December 21
Day when Southern Hemisphere is maximally tilted towards

the sun and gets most direct sun.
5
The Sun appears to be directly overhead at noon for places

situated at latitude 23.44 degrees south, known as the
Tropic of Capricorn. (Why?)
Places situated at latitude 66.56 degrees south, known as the

antarctic circle, will see the Sun just on the horizon during
midnight, and all places south of it will see the Sun above
Places situated at latitude 66.56 degrees north, known as the

arctic circle will see the Sun just on the horizon during
midday, and all places north of it will not see the Sun above
horizon at any time of the day
6
Spring (vernal) equinox: March 21
Fall (autumnal) equinox: September 22
Times when neither Hemisphere is more tilted towards the

sun.
Both hemispheres get same direct sunlight.

The Spring equinox marks the transition from the Southern

Hemiphere being tipped towards the sun to the Northern
Hemiphere being tipped towards the sun.

The Fall equinox marks the transition from the Northern

Hemisphere being tipped towards the sun to the Southern
Hemisphere being tipped towards the sun
7
On the fall and spring equinox, where would you expect to

see the sky overhead at noon ?
Summer Days….
Although the Northern Hemisphere gets its most direct
sunlight on the summer solstice in June, the hottest days of
summer are in July/August.
This is because it takes time to heat up the earth and oceans.

Can you explain the coldest months of winter similarly ?
Summer Days….
The tilt of the Earth’s axis
also explains the length of
days and nights…
On the equinoxes, day and
night are roughly of equal
length.
Between the Spring equinox

and the Summer solstice,
days in the Northern
Hemisphere grow longer as
it is tilted towards the sun.
The opposite is true in the
Southern Hemisphere.
8
Summer Days….
On the summer solstice,
places in the Northern
Hemisphere have their
longest day (vice versa in
the Southern Hemisphere).
Between the Summer

solstice and the Fall
Equinox, days in the
Northern Hemisphere grow
shorter as its tilt towards
the sun decreases. The
opposite is true in the
Southern Hemisphere.
Winter Wonderland….
Based on the previous slide
can you explain the length of
days and nights from the Fall
equinox to the Winter
solstice to the Spring
equinox ?
High Noon…or is it ?
Because of the tilt of the earth’s axis, the apparent path of the sun
(ecliptic) is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees with respect to the
celestial equator.
This tilt causes the sun to appear to follow different paths in the sky
in summer and winter.
9
High Noon…or is it ?
We can recognize solstices and equinoxes by Sun’s path
across sky:
Summer solstice:
Highest path, rise and set
at most extreme north of
due east.
Winter solstice: Lowest
path, rise and set at most
extreme south of due
east.
Equinoxes: Sun rises
precisely due east and
sets precisely due west.
The Ecliptic and the Equinox

The apparent path of the sun (ecliptic) is tilted at an angle of 23.5
degrees with respect to the celestial equator.
Hence the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator twice a year
The crossing points mark the Spring Equinox and Fall Equinox.
Precession of Earth’s axis

• Although the axis seems fixed on human time
scales, it actually precesses over about 26,000 years.
! Polaris won’t always be the North Star.
! Positions of equinoxes shift around orbit; e.g.,
spring equinox, once in Aries, is now in Pisces!
Earth’s axis
precesses like
the axis of a
spinning top
10
Precession of Earth’s axis
• Hipparchus discovered the precession of the earth’s
axis over 2000 years ago !
• Precession may affect the severity of the different
seasons and may cause extreme climate changes such
as ice ages
Earth’s axis
precesses like
the axis of a
spinning top
Summary
• What causes the seasons?
– The tilt of the Earth’s axis causes sunlight to
hit different parts of the Earth more directly
during the summer and less directly during
the winter
• How do we mark the progression of the seasons?
– The summer and winter solstices are when
the Northern Hemisphere gets its most and
least direct sunlight, respectively. The spring
and fall equinoxes are when both
hemispheres get equally direct sunlight.
Summary
• What is the seasonal motion of the sun in the sky?
– The tilt of the earth causes the days in the Northern
hemisphere to be longer in summer and shorter in
winter and vice versa in the Southern Hemisphere.
– The tilt of the ecliptic causes the sun to appear to
follow different paths in the sky in summer and
winter
• What could cause the seasonal motion of the sun to
change over time ?
– The tilt remains about 23.5 degrees (so the season
pattern is not affected), but Earth has a 26,000 year
precession cycle.
– This precession may cause extreme climate changes
11

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Seasons in The Sun : Questions

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Seasons in the Sun…

• What causes the seasons?

What causes the seasons?

John, who lives in Canada, claims that in June it is

Maya, who lives in Australia claims that in December it

How to resolve this contradiction ?

What causes the seasons?

• Seasons are opposite in the N and S

Direct light causes more heating.

What causes the seasons?

Axis tilt changes directness of sunlight during the year.

What causes the seasons?

What causes the seasons?

What causes the seasons?

How do we mark the progression of the seasons?

Day when Northern Hemisphere is maximally tilted towards

How do we mark the progression of the seasons?

Summer solstice: June 21

The Sun appears to be directly overhead at noon for places

Summer solstice: June 21

Places situated at latitude 66.56 degrees north, known as the

How do we mark the progression of the seasons?

Summer solstice: June 21

Places situated at latitude 66.56 degrees south, known as the

How do we mark the progression of the seasons?

Winter solstice: December 21

Day when Southern Hemisphere is maximally tilted towards

Winter solstice: December 21

The Sun appears to be directly overhead at noon for places

How do we mark the progression of the seasons?

Winter solstice: December 21

Places situated at latitude 66.56 degrees south, known as the

How do we mark the progression of the seasons?

Winter solstice: December 21

Places situated at latitude 66.56 degrees north, known as the

Times when neither Hemisphere is more tilted towards the

Marking the progression of seasons

The Spring equinox marks the transition from the Southern

Marking the progression of seasons

The Fall equinox marks the transition from the Northern

On the fall and spring equinox, where would you expect to

This is because it takes time to heat up the earth and oceans.

Between the Spring equinox

Between the Summer

The Ecliptic and the Equinox

Precession of Earth’s axis

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