Why is a year four seasons long?

[ElFenix]

we have seasons because the sun's energy flux hitting the earth at any particular point varies as the earth orbits around the sun due to the tilt of the earth's axis of rotation compared to the plane of the earth's orbit. it takes a full year for flux to return back to either its peak or minimum because that's how long an orbit takes.

 

[SKORPI0]

Here's a nice video explaining it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLRA87TKXLM

 

[A Casual Fitz]

I love you Dixy, but I have no idea what the point of this thread is.

 

[Jeff7]

That would explain my question.

However, I am having a very hard time getting an intuition of this...

It only makes sense in my mind if we're not on the same plain as the sun.

Wouldn't the earth being relatively horizontal and the sun being at 23 degrees below us be the same thing?

So it's not that the earth is tilted, it's that we're located at an angle above the sun.

If you're on a part of the planet that's tilted away, the Sun spends more time below the horizon.
If you're on a part of the planet that's closer to the equator, the Sun is more overhead, and spends more time above the horizon.

If it's above the horizon, that's time it can spend heating the ground and atmosphere. The angle also means that light is hitting at a harder angle. Summer.

If it's below the horizon or at a steeper angle, it'll impart less heat. Winter.

If you're at the poles, the angle is more pronounced due to the tilt and Earth's curvature, so it can get really cold. If you're near the equator, the sunlight is fairly direct year-round, so it stays hot.

 

[twinrider1]

MN seasons

....

Just two seasons in MN. Frozen and Mosquito.

 

[BoberFett]

MN seasons

Cold as eff + snow, warming up but cold + snow, road construction\warm, cooling down\rain. Then back to cold as eff + snow.

But this year has been amazingly warm in the winter. Still growing in my garden in the middle of Dec! That usually ends mid October.

Bring on the climate change, this is my favorite winter ever.

 

[Charmonium]

I always thought it was interesting that the earth is closer to the sun in winter than in summer.

 

[pete6032]

Just two seasons in MN. Frozen and Mosquito.

I came here to correct Genx87, but this guy already did. :sneaky:

 

[Red Squirrel]

One thing I always found odd is how spring/fall are so long, they are only transitional seasons, the actual weather only lasts about a month.

Weather wise, this would probably make more sense if it was something like this:

Summer: June-August
Fall: September
Winter: October-April
Spring: May

Right now, I think first day of winter is what, in like December? That's more like middle of winter. Winter weather starts in like October usually.

Then again with climate change, weather seems to be all over the place in the past 10 years or so, It was probably more future proof to just base the dates off other things like Earth position.

 

[pete6032]

delete

 

[jagec]

One thing I always found odd is how spring/fall are so long, they are only transitional seasons, the actual weather only lasts about a month.

Weather wise, this would probably make more sense if it was something like this:

Summer: June-August
Fall: September
Winter: October-April
Spring: May

Right now, I think first day of winter is what, in like December? That's more like middle of winter. Winter weather starts in like October usually.

You live Beyond the Wall. Of COURSE your winters last longer. It's not like that everywhere.

 

[destrekor]

go back to school

 

[zerocool84]

What's a season? I don't think we have those in Southern California.

 

[John Connor]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ga_M5Zdn4

 

[John Connor]

What's a season? I don't think we have those in Southern California.

It's not been in the 50's?

 

[Carson Dyle]

There are only two seasons - winter and summer - with transitions from one to the other in between.

 

[Jodell88]

There're only two seasons, wet, and dry.

 

[TheBigEarl]

Just two seasons in MN. Frozen and Mosquito.

I was on an Uber ride recently in North Florida and the driver told me there are only two seasons in North Florida .... Crazy Humid and Road Construction. All the roads we went on were under construction, so apparently she was right.

 

[x26]

You are basically asking why the Earth is tilted on its axis. There are theories on that but ultimately they are just theories.

Why don't you ask the creator of the universe this question?

An Asteroid-strike.-Probably the Same one that formed the Moon.

 

[Charmonium]

An Asteroid-strike.-Probably the Same one that formed the Moon.

Another theory is that earth crossed paths with another planet that was forming. Some people tend to like this one better since it explains why most of the iron is in the core. An asteroid impact probably wouldn't have penetrated deeply enough to mix in the iron that was probably in both. At least I think that's the way the theory goes.

edit: I think I screwed that up - here's what I was trying to say

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_impact_hypothesis

 

[John Connor]

I think the Earth had iron because that's how we role.

Also, "The energy of such a giant impact is predicted to have heated Earth to produce a global "ocean" of magma, yet there is no evidence of the resultant planetary differentiation of the heavier material sinking into Earth's mantle."

 

[FerrelGeek]

Persephone was kidnapped by Hades. While she was in the underworld, she ate a few pomegranate seeds so the gods decided that she had to stay with Hades for a number of months based on the number of seeds she ate. Her mother, Demeter the goddess of weather and crops, grieved during the months that she was gone and would not let anything grow. This is how we got our seasons. Everybody knows this.

 

[flexy]

That would explain my question.

However, I am having a very hard time getting an intuition of this...

It only makes sense in my mind if we're not on the same plain as the sun.

Wouldn't the earth being relatively horizontal and the sun being at 23 degrees below us be the same thing?

So it's not that the earth is tilted, it's that we're located at an angle above the sun.

What about this is not clear?

The Earth orbiting the sun with a tilt relative to the orbiting plane/Sun.

There is no "horizontal", "above" or "below" in space.

Even with that image probably not the best it should be all it needs to explain seasons. If you imagine the Earth spinning around its axis, at the top of the Axis (where it says N), you can see how its spinning but most of the time stays dark due to tilt away from the Sun IN WINTER.

In Summer, right side, the Earth is spinning but due to the tilt towards the Sun now its mostly lit during one rotation--> SUMMER.

 

[sdifox]

because otherwise this won't make sense

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYvkVqpLX_E

 

[SphinxnihpS]

How is anyone this fucking stupid?