does the planet really tilt on its axis?

Question

because i heard people argue that its just the rotation around the sun that causes the seasons

Answer 1

What does "tilted on its axis" mean? Earth rotates on its axis, and in addition it revolves around the sun. The orientation of the axis with respect to the solar revolution is what we are talking about here.

The other answers you have been given are correct--seasons are a product of the earth's tilt. Our earth is actually closest to the sun in January. The reason January is winter in the northern hemisphere is because the closer pole tilts away from the sun that part of the year, reducing the total sunlight.

Notice the angle of the sun to the horizon in the sky at mid day in the summer vs. that same angle in the winter. The winter sun rises not as high in the sky. It also rises later and sets earlier.

If you were to travel south, towards the Tropic of Cancer, you would find that on the summer solstice the sun would be directly overhead right at noon. You, however, would still be 20 some degrees from earth's equator.

If earth's axis were not tilted with respect to its revolution around the sun, you would expect the sun to rise due east and fly directly overhead every day from the equatorial latitude. From anywhere else on the earth's surface the sun should reach about the same height in the sky each day (varying only very slightly by the eccentricity of the orbit).

Answer 2

each of the planets' rotational axes are prone relative to their orbital planes. The least tilted, at 3°, are Venus and Jupiter. Uranus' axis is prone 82°. curiously, the folk writing questions for the coach be conscious of under a typical 5th grader. EDIT: I word a tremendous discrepancy between the numbers provided in solutions, right here. the quite a few numbers come from Wikipedia, that's in conflict of words with Hyperphysics. specially, Wikipedia supplies 177.4° for the lean for Venus, and my source supplies 23.5°. the rationalization is that, seen from the sunlight's north axis, Venus orbits anticlockwise and rotates clockwise. The hyperphysics archives did no longer take this into consideration.

Answer 3

it's the tilt of the axis in combination with rotation around the sun that causes seasons

think about it, if the earth wasn't tilted, and it just moved in a circle around the sun, it wouldn't affect things
but the tilt means that for times the sun is shining directly on the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn, affecting seasons

Answer 4

When it's mid-summer in the Northern hemisphere, that means the tilt of the Earth is making the North Pole point 23 degrees or so towards the sun - hence the Northern hemisphere is warmer. 6 months later, half way round in its orbit, the same tilt is now making the North Pole point 23 degrees or so away from the sun, making it winter in the Northern hemisphere.

Answer 5

If you look around long enough, you'll find people who still believe the Earth is flat ☺
Yes, the Earth is tilted at about 23° to its orbital plane and that's what causes the seasons. And the seasons in the Northern and Southern hemispheres are 'opposite'. When it's Summer in one, it's Winter in the other.

Doug

Answer 6

If the Earth weren't tilted 23 1/5 degrees with respect to it's orbital plane, we wouldn't have seasons. At least, not to the degree we experience them now. Every day would be 12 hours long, every night would be 12 hours long, and we'd experience the same amount of heat from the sun, and the same amount of heat loss to radiation at night.

Answer 7

Yes it does. 23.5 degrees, it's what causes the seasons.

Answer 8

Yes.

Answer 9

yes, but just slightly