The Earth: Tis the Season

Earth's Rotation Earth turns on its axis of rotation as it orbits the Sun. The axis of rotation is an imaginary line running through the center of Earth.

What Causes Day and Night? Sunlight shines on half of Earth at any given time, producing daytime due to the Earth’s rotation.

What is a Season? A season is a pattern of temperature changes and other weather trends over the course of a year.

What Causes Earth's Seasons? The tilt of the Earth’s axis causes the seasons due to changes in the amount of sunlight which results in changes in temperature. Click the Earth!

Seasonal Vocabulary Equinox – sunlight shines equally on the northern and southern hemispheres. Solstice – the area of sunlight is at a maximum in one hemisphere and a minimum in the other hemisphere.

Autumnal Equinox Half of the sunlight is in each hemisphere. The strongest sunlight is on the equator. Marks the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

Winter Solstice Less than half of the Northern Hemisphere is in sunlight. The strongest sunlight is south of the equator, so the Southern Hemisphere grows warmer. Marks the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

Vernal Equinox Half of the sunlight is in each hemisphere. The strongest sunlight is on the equator. Marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and fall in the Southern Hemisphere.

Summer Solstice Less than half of the Southern Hemisphere is in sunlight. The strongest sunlight is north of the equator, so the Northern Hemisphere grows warmer. Marks the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Earth's Seasons Earth's tilted axis and Earth's revolution around the Sun are the properties that lead to Earth's changing seasons.

What Affects Temperature? The angle of sunlight affects temperature. Winter : Sun appears low in the sky (long shadows). Spring and Fall: Sun appears higher in the sky (medium shadows). Summer: Sun appears high in the sky (short shadows).

Angle of Sunlight

What Affects Temperature? Day length affects temperature. The longer the days = higher the temperature. The shorter the days = lower the temperature.

Foldable 1 Cut foldable on dotted lines. Fold on solid lines. Glue foldable in notebook. Use these definitions in your foldable: Axis: the line on which an object rotates Orbit: the path an object follows as it moves around another object. Revolve: the motion of one object around another. Rotate: a spinning motion

Foldable 2 Cut foldable on dotted lines. Fold on solid lines. Glue foldable in notebook. Explain why the pushpin’s season is label correctly. Your labeled Picture Your labeled Picture SUN Your labeled Picture Your labeled Picture