Earth's seasons are not dictated by its distance from the sun, but rather by its axial tilt
Angle of the sun's rays
Determines the intensity of solar radiation, with the equator receiving the highest intensity
Causes variations in daylight hours, contributing to the change of seasons
The North Pole gets 24 hours of sunlight near the summer solstice and 24 hours of darkness near the winter solstice
The South Pole gets 24 hours of sunlight near the winter solstice and 24 hours of darkness near the summer solstice
Where you live, you have day and night cycles due to the rotation of Earth
This isn't possible at the North and South Poles because the poles are the surface expression of Earth's axis of rotation
Tropical places only have one season because they get more exposure to the sun
The tropical seasons are broken up into just two: the wet season and the dry
Some places only have one season (Tropical places)
The real reason why we have seasons is because of Earth's axial tilt
Earth's axial tilt
The north pole does not point straight up from the plane of Earth's orbit around the sun
The south pole does not go straight down
The tilt is about 23.5 degrees
Seasons in the Northern Hemisphere
1. In late June, the Northern Hemisphere is most pointed towards the sun
2. In late December, the Northern Hemisphere is most pointed away from the sun
When the sun is directly bearing down on a surface
The surface area receiving the sun's rays is less than when the sun's rays are coming at an angle
Wherever you go in the Northern Hemisphere, the angle of the sun's rays is less direct in the winter than in the summer
In the summer, when the Northern Hemisphere is most tilted towards the Earth, the north pole has constant daylight and the south pole has constant nighttime
In spring and autumn, the Northern Hemisphere is not pointed towards or away from the sun, it is pointed to the side
