Seasons! Why wouldn’t you love them? Each season always brings something unique to look forward to in each. Whether it’s hot chocolates, cozy sweaters, and movie nights in winter, or the long summer days spent at the pool or waterparks in the summer, each season always brings something unique and special. Our year is divided into four seasons; summer, autumn, winter, and spring. Throughout each of these four seasons, our Earth experiences many different characteristics of weather. Throughout this presentation, I will be sharing with you all the information you will need to know about seasons.
In order for seasons to happen our Earth and Sun need to work together as a team to come together and create what we like to call seasons. Earth, the planet we live on, is the fifth largest planet in our solar system, and is one of the third, in a total eight planets that orbit the sun in our solar system. The sun is the star centered in the middle of our solar system; The sun is a hot ball of gasses that gives off great amounts of energy. Most planets in our solar system orbit around the sun as it provides us with heat and light, without these two elements, all our animals, plants and humans would all eventually die. The Earth Is positioned 146 million kilometers away from the sun, if it were to be any closer, the high temperatures would cause our oceans to evaporate. The sun is said to be 695, 510 kilometers in radius, this means that the Earth, which is 6, 371 kilometers in radius, would fit into our sun around 1,000, 000 times! In order for seasons to take place, our Earth needs to be precisely tilted and positioned out in space between Venus and Mars.
In order for seasons to happen, they must take place in a particular position in a particular place. Seasons take place in space, but the effect of this phenomenon is received on Earth. Based on the location on Earth where you live, depends on where you experience certain seasons at a certain time of the year. Not everyone on Earth experiences certain seasons at the same time. For example, In June the northern hemisphere is facing the sun, which means it is getting to receive direct sunlight, therefore it being summer there. And in the southern hemisphere, it would be receiving indirect sunlight, therefore it being winter there. And for spring and autumn, the Earth’s orbit causes the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere to neither be tilted towards the sun nor away from it. Throughout these seasons, the sun is positioned in the center of the solar system and does not move around on an axis. Although, throughout these seasons the moon orbits the Earth, therefore changing its position consistently. The importance of the position of where about you live on Earth enables seasons to occur at different times in different places throughout the year.
In order for us to witness seasons here on Earth, an important process needs to take place. Seasons are caused because of the Earth’s consistently changing relationship with the sun. The Earth orbits around the sun, completing one full rotation each year. Due to the Earth orbiting the sun on a tilt, the amount of sunlight on each location on the planet changes slightly each day. Whilst the seasons change every three months, it's important you enjoy each season whilst happening because in the glimpse of an eye, three months will have gone past and your favorite season has ended before you know it.
Due to the interaction between the Earth and the Sun seasons occur all year long. Seasons, on average consist of around three months each. In Australia, we experience summer from the 1st of December to the 29th of February. Next, we experience autumn, from the 1st of March till the 31st of May. Following, we have winter, from the 1st of June through the 31st of August. And additionally, we have spring, lasting from the 1st of December through the 30th of November. Currently, on the Gold Coast, we are experiencing the season of spring. Whilst we may appreciate the beauty each season provides; it is also interesting to understand why seasons occur the way they do.
The science behind why seasons occur is in the detail of the location and whereabouts of where the Earth in its orbit around the sun. It is because of the tilt of the Earth and the position of Earth’s orbit that allows the seasons to happen. During the height of summer in January, temperatures normally stay around 30 degrees as the country is positioned in the southern hemisphere. Whilst up in the northern hemisphere in their summer their temperatures in summer are hotter than in the southern. It is incredible to think that what we experience on Earth, is all the collaborative work on the heavenly bodies up in space!