Earth’s Seasonal Cycle

Most places on Earth have four seasons each year. These are winter, spring, summer, and fall. Every season has its own temperature, amount of sunlight, and weather patterns. Seasons last about three months. The seasons may be more or less noticeable depending on where you live.

All planets in our solar system, including Earth, move around the Sun. Earth orbits the Sun in about 365 days. As Earth travels around the Sun, it leans at an angle. That means different parts of Earth are closer to the Sun at different times of the year. The part of Earth that is leaning toward the Sun receives more daylight hours and warmth than does the rest of Earth. Seasons are created by the amount of light and warmth that certain areas of Earth receive from the Sun during the year.

The Sun, shown here, creates a huge amount of light and heat. Even though it is 93 million miles (150,000,000 km) away from Earth, it still provides enough light and heat to make life possible on Earth. View Larger Image

Courtesy of SOHO (ESA & NASA)