Seasons

As the Earth orbits around the Sun, its axis points either toward the Sun or away from it. When the axis is pointing toward the Sun the northern hemisphere enjoys summer and six months later, when the axis is pointing away from the Sun, the southern hemisphere enjoys summer. If you look at this picture you can see how the Sun tilts and moves around the Sun.

If the Earth's axis weren't tipped, not only would there not be any seasons but the southern hemisphere would be a huge icecap and the arctic would be more like the tropics. If the Earth's axis were tipped any more than it is the seasons would be more dramatic. Each year the polar ice caps would freeze and thaw causing the oceans to rise and fall significantly each year. This means that we couldn't live on a large part of the Earth because it would be flooded.

The temperature is something you might not think about unless it is too hot or too cold. The activity on the Sun has a lot to do with the temperature on Earth. Why it is hotter at the equator than in the Arctic is because of where they are located on the Earth and how strong the Sun is there.

If the Sun disappeared, the temperature would drop to close to absolute zero (-460 degrees F) and we would burn up all the Earth's reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas in about three days just to keep ourselves warm.

Scientists say that if the Earth were just 5% closer to the Sun, temperatures would increase enough to melt the ice caps at the North and South poles. The melted water would raise the ocean level as much as 300 feet. All the seashore cities in the world would be under water.

The seasons and the temperatures on the Earth are made by the Sun. The Sun is in exactly the right place to make a perfect place for us to live. But the Sun also effects other parts of our lives like the tides and the animals on Earth. You can learn about that in the other sections of the Sun Spot.