Causes of Changing Seasons - Assignment Example

In late June, on the date of the summer solstice, the tilt toward the sun is maximized, leading to a maximum of sunlight reaching the Northern Hemisphere. While on the date of the winter solstice in late December, the tilt away from the sun is maximized, leading to a minimum of sunlight reaching the Northern Hemisphere. The difference in the amount of sunlight reaching the ground in the different hemispheres is what causes the seasons.             The Earth is said to be at its closest point distance to the Sun with 91.

5 million miles in January called the Perihelion and the furthest with 94.5 million miles in July called the Aphelion. However, this change in distance is not great enough to cause any substantial difference in our climate. While in winter the sun is lower in the sky and produces a short elevation angle above the horizon therefore the sunlight gets scattered over a larger surface area of ground. In addition, sunlight passes the atmosphere where it can be absorbed or reflected. The beam of sunlight travels through the atmosphere at a short distance when the sun is high in the sky.

On the contrary, when the sun is low in the sky, the beam of sunlight travels a long distance through the atmosphere.