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4.1 Summary
2-5-13
I have an oak tree in my backyard and every time I make a
pile of leaves and jump in them with my brother I will think of
the season’s lab. In winter the sun is directly hitting the southern
hemisphere because of the Earth’s 23.5 degree tilt, which causes
summer in the southern hemisphere and winter in the northern
hemisphere.
During summer the sunlight is directly hitting the northern
hemisphere because of the 23.5 degree tilt, which causes summer
in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern
hemisphere.
Winter and summer are six months apart because it takes
the Earth six months to get halfway around the sun. Also each
season is three months long. When its winter in the northern
hemisphere that means it is summer in the southern. This
happens because of the 23.5 degree tilt, the southern hemisphere
is getting direct sunlight. Even though the sun is closer to Earth
in December in the northern hemisphere, it is colder than June
because the sun isn’t directly hitting the Earth, the lower the
Sun’s angle the less intense the solar radiation and the more
atmosphere the rays must pass through. Also the sun is lower in
December. In June the Sun is higher so the higher the Sun’s angle
the more intense solar radiation and the less atmosphere the
Sun’s rays must pass through. Winter is colder than summer
because the Sun is lower in winter which means the Sun’s rays
aren’t directly hitting Earth and have more atmospheres to pass
through. In summer the Sun is higher which means the Sun’s rays
are directly hitting the Earth and have fewer atmospheres to pass
through. The reason for seasons is the Sun’s rays penetrating the
Earth’s atmosphere and the tilt of Earth’s poles cause seasons. My
prediction was that the Earth orbits the Sun with one side facing
the Sun (summer) and the opposite facing away (winter). My
prediction didn’t match the correct answer in any way. My new
question is if the arctic ice melted how much would that change
the tilt of the Earth on its axis. I didn’t have a big ah-hah moment,
but I learned from others that when the Earth orbits it always
faces Polaris, the North Star.