3. Seasons Are Caused By Our Distance From The Sun
Its hotter in summer because your part of the Earth is tilted closer to the sun, right? Not exactly. We all know that the Earth is on an axel, and the tilt of this axel does have something to do with the seasons, but it isnt about the distance it puts between parts of the Earth and Sun. The Earth in general is over 90 million miles away from the Sun. Earths diameter at the equator is only around 7,900 miles. The difference in proximity to the sun therefore makes little difference. Plus, due to the non-perfect circle of the Earths orbit around the Sun, the Earth is actually the closest to the Sun during the Northern Hemispheres winter! They key lies in the angle at which the Suns rays hit the surface of the Earth. During the summer for the Northern Hemisphere, the Earth is tilted on its axel towards the Sun. The Sun therefore shines more directly on the Northern Hemisphere than the Southern Hemisphere. The direct rays are more concentrated, and this concentrated energy provides more heat, or solar radiation. When the rays strike at a less direct angle, they become spread out and provide less concentrated energy the hemisphere tilted away is cooler, and goes through the shivery winter season.