Ages

Introduction

Summary

The Earth is tilted on its orbit. This causes an unequal amount of sunshine to fall in different parts of the planet during the course of a year, and this is responsible for the seasons. You can use this animation  to illustrate the  variations in the length of daylight,  and the seasons,  in the northern hemisphere.

The circles represented are:

1. Arctic circle (66°N)
2. 45°N latitude (Seattle, Toronto, Milan)
3. Equator
4. Antarctic circle (66°S)

The animation is not drawn to scale for either sizes or distances. Nor are the relative speeds of rotation and revolution accurately represented.

 

Goals

• To illustrate the dynamics of the Sun – Earth system.
• To link the alternating seasons to the Earth’s  inclination on its orbit.
• To understand the effect of Earth’s inclination on the duration of daylight.

Features

Click and drag the mouse to rotate.

Click on the magnifying glass to zoom in and out.

Student sheet

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Tags

seasons autumn winter spring summer solstice equinox Sun day night equator arctic orbit ecliptic