Figure 2
The Seasons
Winter
During Tennessee’s winter
months, Earth’s tilt is positioned
so that the Northern Hemisphere
points away from the sun and
the Southern Hemisphere points
toward the sun. Because of this
tilt, the Northern Hemisphere
receives less-direct solar energy
and experiences lower temperatures and shorter days than the
Southern Hemisphere does.
March 21
Spring
June 21
Summer
Summer
During Tennessee’s summer
months, Earth’s tilt is positioned so that the Northern
Hemisphere points toward the
sun and the Southern Hemisphere points away from the
sun. Because of this tilt, the
Northern Hemisphere receives
more-direct solar energy and
experiences higher temperatures
and longer days than the Southern Hemisphere does.
December 21
Winter
September 22
Fall
Earth’s Tilt
Seasons are caused mainly by the 23.5° tilt of Earth’s axis. This
tilt causes the number of daylight hours to change as the time
of year changes. An area has fewer daylight hours in winter
than in summer. Winter in the Northern Hemisphere is caused
by the tilt of the Northern Hemisphere away from the sun.
In summer, an area has more daylight hours than in winter.
Summer in the Northern Hemisphere is caused by the tilt of
the Northern Hemisphere toward the sun. Figure 2 shows how
Earth’s tilt affects the amount of sunlight in an area.
day the time required for Earth
to rotate once on its axis
How does Earth’s tilt cause summer in
the Northern Hemisphere? ✔0607.6.3
Section 1
Days and Seasons on Earth
291