Joe Palka
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
If the orbit of the Earth around the Sun were a perfect circle, then the two bodies would always be the same distance apart.
But Earth's orbit is elliptical, a very slightly squashed circle, meaning every year there's a single time when it's closest and another when it's furthest away.
But even if it were circular, there would still be seasons.
That's because the Earth is tilted away from straight up and down in its orbit.
The tilt is significant, 23 degrees.
In winter, the North Pole points away from the sun, and in summer, towards the sun.
Longer time bathed in sunlight does more to explain changes in temperature than slight changes in distance.
If the orbit of the Earth around the sun were a perfect circle, then the two bodies would always be the same distance apart.
But Earth's orbit is elliptical, a very slightly squashed circle, meaning every year there's a single time when it's closest and another when it's furthest away.
But even if it were circular, there would still be seasons.
That's because the Earth is tilted away from straight up and down in its orbit.
The tilt is significant, 23 degrees.
In winter, the North Pole points away from the Sun, and in summer, towards the Sun.
Longer time bathed in sunlight does more to explain changes in temperature than slight changes in distance.
If the orbit of the Earth around the Sun were a perfect circle, then the two bodies would always be the same distance apart.
But Earth's orbit is elliptical, a very slightly squashed circle, meaning every year there's a single time when it's closest and another when it's furthest away.