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This is the cause of Earth's seasons. Summer occurs in the Northern hemisphere when the north pole is directed toward the Sun. Variations in Earth's axial tilt can influence the seasons and is likely a factor in long-term climatic change (also see Milankovitch cycles). Relationship between Earth's axial tilt (ε) to the tropical and polar circles
Thus, the greater the axial tilt, the stronger the seasons' variations at a given latitude. [ 4 ] Seasonal differences in the Sun's declination , as viewed from the mid-northern city of New York , New York This solargraph exposed over the course of a year shows the Sun's paths of diurnal motion , as seen from Budapest in 2014.
On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. [2] [3] [4] In temperate and polar regions, the seasons are marked by changes in the intensity of sunlight that reaches the Earth's surface, variations of which may cause animals to undergo hibernation or to migrate, and plants to be dormant ...
In addition, the rotational tilt of the Earth (its obliquity) changes slightly. A greater tilt makes the seasons more extreme. Finally, the direction in the fixed stars pointed to by the Earth's axis changes (axial precession), while the Earth's elliptical orbit around the Sun rotates (apsidal precession).
The Earth is tilted approximately 23.5 degrees on its axis, and each solstice is dictated by the amount of solar declination, or "the latitude of Earth where the sun is directly overhead at noon ...
Its declination reaches a maximum equal to the angle of Earth's axial tilt (23.44° or 23°26') [8] [9] on the June solstice, then decreases until reaching its minimum (−23.44° or -23°26') on the December solstice, when its value is the negative of the axial tilt. This variation produces the seasons.
The Tropic of Capricorn's position is not fixed, but constantly changes because of a slight wobble in the Earth's longitudinal alignment relative to its orbit around the Sun. Earth's axial tilt varies over a 41,000 year period from about 22.1 to 24.5 degrees and currently resides at about 23.4 degrees. This wobble means that the Tropic of ...
On the summer solstice, Earth's maximum axial tilt toward the Sun is 23.44°. [7] Likewise, the Sun's declination from the celestial equator is 23.44°. Diagram of Earth's seasons as seen from the north. Far left: summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere. Front right: summer solstice for the Southern Hemisphere.