Ever wonder why the seasons change?

As the Earth orbits around the sun each year, the North and South poles may face towards the sun and be in daylight, or face away from the sun and be in darkness.

The North and South poles do not face up and down, but are tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees. This is called the Earth’s angle of rotation.

The Earth also rotates on its axis each day. Half of the Earth faces the sun, in daylight, and the other half faces away from the sun, in darkness. The amount of daylight changes with the seasons.

Can you name the seasons shown on the image at the left?

Move your cursor over the Earth to check your answers.