Why do the hemispheres have opposite seasons

In June, the Sun is north of the celestial equator and spends more time with those who live in the Northern Hemisphere. It rises high in the sky and is above the horizon in the United States for as long as 15 hours. Thus, the Sun not only heats us with more direct rays, but it also has more time to do it each day. There the June Sun is low in the sky, meaning fewer daylight hours. In Chile, for example, June is a colder, darker time of year. In December, when the Sun is south of the celestial equator, the situation is reversed.

Figure 4: Earth on June This is the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. Note that as Earth turns on its axis the line connecting the North and South Poles , the North Pole is in constant sunlight while the South Pole is veiled in 24 hours of darkness. The Sun is at the zenith for observers on the Tropic of Cancer. On or about June 21 the date we who live in the Northern Hemisphere call the summer solstice or sometimes the first day of summer , the Sun shines down most directly upon the Northern Hemisphere of Earth.

The situation is shown in detail in Figure 4. This latitude, where the Sun can appear at the zenith at noon on the first day of summer, is called the Tropic of Cancer. That circle of latitude is called the Arctic Circle. Figure 5: Earth on December This is the date of the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. Now the North Pole is in darkness for 24 hours and the South Pole is illuminated.

The Sun is at the zenith for observers on the Tropic of Capricorn and thus is low in the sky for the residents of the Northern Hemisphere. Many early cultures scheduled special events around the summer solstice to celebrate the longest days and thank their gods for making the weather warm.

In spring, the Sun will rise farther and farther north of east, and set farther and farther north of west, reaching the maximum around the summer solstice. Now look at the South Pole in Figure 4. The situation is reversed 6 months later, about December 21 the date of the winter solstice , or the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere , as shown in Figure 5. Now it is the Arctic Circle that has the hour night and the Antarctic Circle that has the midnight Sun.

Days are longer in the Southern Hemisphere and shorter in the north. In the United States and Southern Europe, there may be only 9 or 10 hours of sunshine during the day. It is winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere. As you can see in Figure 4, the Tropic of Cancer is the latitude for which the Sun is directly overhead on the summer solstice.

If Earth were tilted a bit less, then the Tropic of Cancer would be at a lower latitude, closer to the equator. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude for which the day length is 24 hours on the day of the summer solstice.

If Earth were tilted a bit less, then the Arctic Circle would move farther North. What would be the effect on the seasons and the locations of the Tropic of Cancer and Arctic Circle? What, then, would be the difference in latitude between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Cancer? The same holds true on the spring equinox near March 21st, as the Sun is once again directly over the equator. Lastly, on the winter solstice near December 21st, the Sun is positioned directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at The southern hemisphere is therefore receiving the direct sunlight, with little scattering of the sun's rays and a high sun angle producing long days.

The northern hemisphere is tipped away from the Sun, producing short days and a low sun angle. What kind of effect does the earth's tilt and subsequent seasons have on our length of daylight defined as sunrise to sunset. Over the equator, the answer is not much. If you live on or very close to the equator, your daylight would be basically within a few minutes of 12 hours the year around. The daylight difference is subtle in the tropics, but becomes extremely large in the northern latitudes.

Where we live in the mid latitudes, daylight ranges from about 15 hours around the summer solstice to near nine hours close to the winter solstice. Moving to the arctic circle at But around the winter solstice, the daylight only lasts slightly more than two hours. There becomes a profound difference in the length of daylight heading north of the arctic circle. Barrow, Alaska at slightly more than 71 degrees north latitude, lies just less than nautical miles north of the arctic circle.

Barrow sees two months of total darkness, as the Sun never rises for about a month on each side of the winter solstice. On the other hand, Barrow also has total light from mid May to early August. And what about the north pole, or 90 degrees north latitude? The Sun rises in the early evening near the spring equinox and never sets again until just after the autumnal equinox, or six months of light.

Conversely, after the Sun sets in the mid morning just after the autumnal equinox, it will not be seen again until the following spring equinox, equating to six months of darkness.

Please Contact Us. Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November Monsoon usually refers to the winds of the Indian Ocean and South Asia, which often bring heavy rains.

Also called the spring equinox. December 22 in the Northern Hemisphere, June 22 in the Southern Hemisphere longest night of the year and the beginning of winter. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.

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You cannot download interactives. The weather you encounter day to day depends on where you live. Places around the Equator experience warm weather all year round, but experience alternate periods of rainy and dry seasons. Places near lakes may experience more snow in the winter, whereas places on continental plains may be more prone to hail, thunderstorms, and tornados in the summer.

Learn more about regional climates with this curated resource collection. The northern hemisphere experiences summer during the months of June, July, and August because it is tilted toward the sun and receives the most direct sunlight. Inversely, summer for the southern hemisphere takes place during the months of December, January, and February because that is when it receives the most direct sunlight.

Did you know that the earth is approximately 3. Learn more about the relationship between the earth and the sun with these resources.

A season is a period of the year distinguished by special climate conditions. Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary.