Earth travels around the Sun once each year while its axis stays tilted. What causes the pattern of seasons on Earth?

Earth's orbit is slightly oval, so its distance from the Sun changes a little during the year. Earth reaches its closest point to the Sun in early January.

In late June the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun. What season is Australia, in the Southern Hemisphere, having at that same time?

Earth's axis is not straight up and down compared with its orbit around the Sun. About how far is Earth's axis tilted?

A student claims summer is hot because Earth is nearest the Sun then. Earth is nearest the Sun in early January, when the United States has winter. What do these data show about the claim?

Seasons repeat as Earth completes one revolution around the Sun. About how long does one revolution of Earth around the Sun take?

At noon in a northern city the Sun stands 70 degrees above the horizon in June and only 25 degrees above the horizon in December. Why does June sunlight warm the ground more?

A city records 15 hours of daylight on June 21 and 9 hours of daylight on December 21. What best explains this difference?

Scientists use several terms to describe Earth's motion and shape. Which word names the imaginary line, passing through the North and South Poles, that Earth spins around?

Twice a year Earth reaches a place in its orbit where neither hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun. What happens to daylight on those two dates?

Earth moves all the way around the Sun during one year. What happens to the direction Earth's axis points during that whole trip?

A city near the equator records mean monthly temperatures between 26 and 28 degrees Celsius all year. Why does this location have so little seasonal change?

Imagine Earth kept the same orbit around the Sun but its axis had no tilt at all. What would most likely happen?

A calendar shows spring, summer, fall, and winter returning in the same order year after year. The full cycle of seasons repeats once during each revolution of Earth around the Sun.

In late December Earth reaches the point in its orbit where one hemisphere leans most sharply toward the Sun. Which hemisphere is leaning toward the Sun then?

A student models seasons by carrying a globe around a lamp, holding the globe straight up the whole way. A classmate says the model cannot show seasons. How should the model be revised?

A student claims that seasons happen because the Sun gives off more energy during summer. What evidence weakens that claim the most?

On June 21 Anchorage, Alaska, records about 19 hours of daylight while a city near the equator records 12 hours. What explains the difference between the two cities?

Scientists use two different motions to describe Earth. Which word names Earth's yearly trip around the Sun?

Sydney is in the Southern Hemisphere. Its mean temperature is 13 degrees Celsius in July and 23 degrees Celsius in January. What best explains this pattern?