The season’s are caused by the shape of the earth’s orbit (elliptical). Sometimes we are closer/further from the sun.

Question

True or false

Answer 1

False.

 

The earth spins on an imaginary pole that goes from the top to the bottom, and we refer to this as its axis.  Earth spins around this axis, completing its rotation once per day.  But this axis is tilted and this is why we have seasons.  Earth's axis of rotations is tilted by 23.5 degrees relative to its orbital plane.  The angle of tilt does not vary during the course of the year;  however, the orientation of earth's tilt does change during the year.  When the Northern Hemisphere is oriented toward the sun, that region of Earth warms because the sun's rays are striking the earth at a more direct angle and it's summer.   When the Northern Hemisphere is oriented away from the sun, the sun’s rays are less direct, and that part of Earth cools and it’s winter. The opposite occurs in the Southern Hemisphere, i.e., when it's summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it's winter in the Southern Hemisphere.  Very simply, as the Earth travels around the Sun, the hemisphere that is tilted towards or away from the Sun changes. 

Note that the second statement "Sometimes we are closer/further from the sun" is a true statement by itself, but it is not the source of the seasons.  The change in distance may result in small changes in temperature, but these are too small to explain the seasons.  If the seasons had only to do with the distance from the sun, then you would expect, at anytime, it would be the same season in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, but this is not the case.

Answer 2

Actually the earth is closer to the sun during winter in the northern hemisphere

The season is cause by the angle at which the sun's heat striks the earth.

Answer 3

Hi Kiana, That statement would be false! Seasons on Earth are caused by variations in the tilt of the rotational axis.