If the Earth goes around the sun,in an elliptical pattern, why does the north and south hemispheres have opposite seasons?

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If the Earth goes around the sun,in an elliptical pattern, why does the north and south hemispheres have opposite seasons?

In: Physics

5 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Are you actually 5? it’s just the Earth’s tilt

Anonymous 0 Comments

Aren’t the season affected by the tilt of the Earth relative to the sun?

Anonymous 0 Comments

Cause there is one hemisphere that is closer to the sun and this is always changing, thus defining seasons.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The Earth’s orbit and distance from the sun actually has very little impact on the seasons (BTW, during northern summers, we’re actually further from the sun than during northern winters).

Instead, it’s the axial tilt of the planet and the angle at which sunlight hits. You know how the air is cooler in the morning and evening, but hottest when the sun is lower in the sky? That’s because the same amount of sunlight is spread over a larger area when the sun is lower in the sky. The tilt of the earth is the same: during the summer, that area of the world is tilted towards the sun, so the sun is more directly overhead and the light is concentrated more directly, warming it up. During the winter, the reverse happens; the sun is lower in the sky and the light is spread over more land. Further, this effect is so extreme at the poles that during winter, nighttime can last for weeks straight and days rarely get brighter than twilight for months, while during the summer, daylight can last for just as long, with no respite from night.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The seasons aren’t caused by the elliptical orbit of the Earth, they are caused by the axial tilt. The Earth isn’t perfectly parallel to the Sun, the Earth rotates on it’s North/South poles tilted at 23.4 degrees relative to its orbit around the Sun.

Depending on the time of year your hemisphere is either tilted towards the Sun (Summer) or away (Winter)

Being tilted towards the Sun results in a warmer season, but contrary to popular belief it’s not because you are closer to the Sun. It’s because more of the Earth’s surface is exposed to the Suns light which makes the days longer. Longer days means we are exposed to more heat.