🌸 THE FOUR SEASONS
PAGE 1 OF 5, TILT MEETS THE YEARLY ORBIT
TILT
WHY SEASONS ARE NOT JUST “CLOSER TO THE SUN”
Earth's axis stays tilted about 23.5° as we orbit the Sun once per year. For months the Northern Hemisphere leans toward the star, sunlight hits at a steeper angle and days lengthen into summer. Six months later it leans away, rays spread over a larger area, days shorten, winter arrives. If seasons were only distance, both hemispheres would warm together in January, they do not. The tilt explains opposite seasons across the equator.
⚡ DID YOU KNOW?
Near perihelion (closest approach) Earth is actually slightly closer to the Sun in Northern winter, distance is not the main seasonal switch; tilt is.
TILT!
AXIS
🌍 Pole-to-pole line
📐 ~23.5° year-round tilt
🧭 Points near Polaris (north)
📐 ~23.5° year-round tilt
🧭 Points near Polaris (north)
ORBIT
☀️ ~365.25 days per lap
📅 Leap day keeps calendars aligned
📅 Leap day keeps calendars aligned