Understand How Our Seasons are Related to the Movement of the Earth

When we look up at the sky at different times of day, the Sun appears to move across the sky.

 

 

The Sun isn’t actually the one moving. As the Earth rotates, it makes it look as if the Sun is moving.

 

It takes the Earth 24 hours to spin on its own axis (on the spot) and this is why we get day and night.

When the part of Earth we live on is facing the Sun, we get day and when we’re facing away from the Sun, we get night.

 

 

Because of this rotation, it makes it look like the Sun is moving but Earth is actually the one that is moving. Earth moves very slowly, so we don’t actually feel like we are spinning all of the time.

 

As the Earth rotates, it looks like the Sun rises in the east of our sky and sets in the west of our sky.

As the Sun appears in different positions in the sky, it affects the size of our shadows.

 

 

When the Sun appears to be directly overhead, we don’t get any shadows.

 

As well as rotating on its own axis, the Earth orbits the Sun. 

It takes the Earth 365 days (a year) to orbit the Sun.

 

The Earth’s orbit around the Sun causes seasons to happen as at different points on its orbit, we are tilted closer or further away from the Sun. 

 

 

In the winter, our days are shorter because the part of Earth we live on is tilted away from the Sun, so we get fewer hours of sunlight.

In the summer, our days are longer because the part of Earth we live on is tilted towards the Sun, so we get more hours of sunlight.

 

In this activity, you’ll be asked questions about what you have read about the Earth and Sun here. 

 

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