Why does earth have seasons?

Some assume our planet's changing distance from the sun causes the change in the seasons. That's logical, but not the case, for Earth. Tweet. Share. Share. Pin. Mail. Share. Photo via Manish Mamtani Photography. 2016's September equinox happens September 22: Everything you need to know. read more

Earth has seasons because sometime early in its long history, something very big hit the young Earth to knock it off-kilter. So instead of rotating with its axis perpendicular to its orbital plane, it is tilted 23.45 degrees from the perpendicular. read more

Earth's axis is an imaginary pole going right through the center of Earth from "top" to "bottom." Earth spins around this pole, making one complete turn each day. That is why we have day and night, and why every part of Earth's surface gets some of each. read more

Earth’s distance from the sun does change throughout the year, and it’s logical to assume that an increase or decrease in a sun-planet distance could cause a cyclical change in the seasons. But – in the case of our planet – this change is too small to cause this change. read more