Look at the beautiful colors of Fall! The leaves are beginning to fall from the trees.
But, have you ever wondered what causes the seasons to change? Well, I once read that, "The reason for seasons lies in space". You maybe wondering what does that all mean. Well I am going to explain.
Our planet Earth makes a path through space that takes it around the Sun. This path is also known as as an orbit. The Earth takes one year to orbit around the sun. The Earth's seasons are not caused by the differences in the distance from the Sun throughout the year, but it is caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis. You maybe wondering what on Earth does the words obit and tilt mean. Hold on and let me explain. Take a look at these pictures!
The obit is the path of gravity taken by Earth around the sun. Earth just goes around the Sun and gravity helps it stay on the right path.
The best way to explain tilt is to imagine a top just before it stops spinning. Remember how it leans closer to the ground. Well a tilt is sort of like a lean. What I am trying to say is that our planet earth is leaning while orbiting around the sun . The Earth's axis is tilted by 23.45°. This tilting is what gives us the four seasons of the year called Spring, Summer, Fall also known as Autumn and winter. Since the axis is tilted, different parts of the Earth are facing closer towards the Sun at different times of the year.
Because the earth is tilted, over the year the poles learn at different times toward the sun . In June for example, the North pole leans towards the sun and the sun heats the northern half of the Earth and there is summer. In December the South Pole leans towards the sun. Places in the southern half of the world , such as Argentina, have summer. At the same time, places in the northern half, such as Canada, and right here in Georgia have winter. This picture will make it easy to understand.
Summer is warmer than winter in both hemispheres because the Sun's rays hit the Earth at a more direct angle during summer than during the winter. This means that the Suns' light does not spread out that much, therefore maximizing the amount of energy that hits an area. Also the days are much longer than the nights during the summer, which means that the Sun is hitting Earth for a longer time.
Winter is cold because the Sun's rays hit the Earth at an extreme angle. This means, the Sun's light spreads out therefore, minimizing the amount of energy that hits an area. Also, the days are very short, which means that the Sun is hitting the Earth for a shorter time. However, countries around the equator do not have seasons. You maybe saying, how could this be possible. Well, the sun hits the equator at about the same angle all year round. Which means, there is summer everyday of the year. Places like the Caribbean islands have no seasons.
One of the most interesting things I learned when researching for this post, is that seasons start at different times every year. Take a look at the times for 2011 and 2012. If you ever wanted to know the start of a season check out the Farmer' Almanac.
| Seasons of 2011: | |
|---|---|
| SPRING EQUINOX | March 20, 7:21 P.M. EDT |
| SUMMER SOLSTICE | June 21, 1:16 P.M. EDT |
| FALL EQUINOX | September 23, 5:05 A.M. EDT |
| WINTER SOLSTICE | December 22, 12:30 A.M. EST |
| Seasons of 2012: | |
|---|---|
| SPRING EQUINOX | March 20, 1:14 A.M. EDT |
| SUMMER SOLSTICE | June 20, 7:09 P.M. EDT |
| FALL EQUINOX | September 22, 10:49 A.M. EDT |
| WINTER SOLSTICE | December 21, 6:12 A.M. EST |
The temperature from season to season are different. You might be wondering how hot or cold can it get.
Here in Georgia, during the summer, the temperatures may range from 70 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. If summer is not hot enough for you in Georgia, well you need to visit Libya or Death Valley, California. These places have recorded the two hottest temperatures ever recorded on the planet during the summer. The hotest day ever recorded was on September 13, 1922, in Libya which was 136 degress Fahrenheit. California's Death Valley had the second-highest temperature recorded of 134 degrees Fahrenheit in 1913.
How cold can it get in the winter? In Georgia, the temperature range form 36 to 56 degrees fahrenheit in the winter. The coldest temperature ever recorded on earth is -128.5 degrees Fahrenheit in the Antarctica on July 21, 1983.
I hope that you have enjoyed and learned a lot about seasons from my post. Come back to visit!
Well, I think you should have put a little more of yourself into it and make it more interesting. You had good info though and i didnt see any mistakes. i also liked all the media.
ReplyDeleteGOOD JERB!
GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!! good info but sounded kinda too proper.AWESOME BYE! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Willard! It had lots of info and I learned some new things. I wish that your personality could shine through a bit more, because it sounded like you copied and pasted(I'm not saying that you did.)Good job overall though!
ReplyDelete