The World Around Us Seasons

Season names Summer: Raumati Dec, Jan, Feb Autumn: Ngahuru Mar, Apr, May Winter: Takarua Jun, Jul, Aug Spring: Koanga Sept, Oct, Nov We have 4 seasons on the Earth.

What is each season like? In Summer /Raumati we have long days (Te Ra) and short nights (Po). The Sun appears high in the sky during the day and the days are usually hot. As we move to Autumn /Ngahuru the days get shorter and the nights get longer. The temperature is also getting cooler. But… how and why do we get seasons? In Winter /Takarua we have the longest nights and shortest days. The Sun appears low in the sky and it is cold during the day. The days are getting longer in Spring /Koanga and nights become shorter. It is becoming warmer.

Earth’s orbit and sun angle The Earth is not perpendicular to its axis. It is on a tilt of 23 degrees. Because of this tilt, for roughly half of the year the Southern Hemisphere tips slightly towards the Sun. At the same time the Northern Hemisphere is tilted slightly away from the Sun. For the second half of the year, the opposite happens and the Southern Hemisphere tilts away and the Northern Hemisphere tilts towards the Sun.

Also…. The Southern Hemisphere gets concentrated sun rays when it is tilted towards the Sun so then we have hotter days. This is Summer. The Northern Hemisphere will get the sun rays spread out as they are tilted away from the Sun so they will be having Winter. In Winter, the Southern Hemisphere the sun rays are spread out as it is tilted away from the sun.

Yearly cycles There are certain signs or markers in the sky that tell us when the seasons are changing. Spotting the Matariki cluster in the morning sky before the Sun rises is one of these signs. Orion is known as our summer constellation whilst Scorpius is known as our Winter sign. 1 Earth year is days. The Earth takes one year to make a full orbit of the Sun. Ever four years we include an extra day to make a leap year. The Matariki star cluster is also known as the Pleiades, Seven Sisters or Subaru among other names. What events only happen once a year?

New Year Matariki heralds the start the M ā ori New Year for M ā ori. When Matariki rises just before the Sun in early June, the M ā ori New year begins. Some iwi believe the New Year starts at the next full moon or the next new moon. Other cultures will have different New Year dates. The most common New Year date is the 1 st of January. Chinese New Year starts in the first week of February. Each culture will celebrate in their own way, with dancing, music and parties. Why would cultures use the stars to guide them through the year?

Seasonal Shadow Changes Our shadows will change through the year and through the day. During Winter, at midday the shadow cast by you will be long. During Summer, at midday a shadow cast by you will be short. During Winter, the Sun is low in the sky, so when the light hits an object the object will have a long shadow. In Summer, the Sun is high in the sky so produces short shadows. Go and use our Sundial of Human Involvement outside. It uses your shadow to tell the time! Why would this sundial only work in New Zealand?