Movement and Position of the Earth – Seasons

#seasons #earth #weather #ngscience
A closer look at the movement and position of the Earth in relation to the sun causing us to experience the four seasons – summer, autumn (fall), winter and spring.

The Seasons
The Earth is divided into two halves – the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. As the Earth revolves around the sun, sunlight hits one hemisphere more directly than the other. This causes us to experience seasons. In June, for example, the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun and is in summer. The southern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun and is in winter.

Summer is the hottest season, occurring between spring and fall. Summer is the seasons with the most hours of daylight. It has the earliest sunrises and the latest sunsets.

Fall is the season after summer. During fall, the temperature gets cool and the number of daylight hours begins to decrease. The leaves on some trees begin to change color and fall away. This will help them to save energy during the approaching winter.

During winter, the Earth is tilted away from the sun. The weather is the coldest season and days are the shortest. The sun rises later in the morning and sets in the late afternoon. In some parts of the Earth, winter is also the season when it is most likely to snow. The ground may be covered in ice and lakes and streams may freeze. Some animals become inactive or migrate to warmer places during winter.

As winter moves to Spring, the number of daylight hours increases and the temperature gets warmer. Spring is the season for reproduction. Trees regrow there leaves and start to produce flowers. Animals become active and also reproduce during spring.