Why do we have different seasons?
We have different seasons because of the tilt of the Earth's axis and its orbit around the sun. The Earth's axis is tilted by about 23.5 degrees relative to its orbit. This means that as the Earth orbits the sun, different parts of the Earth receive different amounts of sunlight at different times of the year.
During one part of the Earth's orbit, called summer, a particular hemisphere (either the northern or southern hemisphere) is tilted towards the sun. This causes the sun's rays to be more direct and concentrated in that hemisphere, leading to longer days and more intense sunlight. This results in the warmer temperatures characteristic of summer.
During another part of the Earth's orbit, called winter, the same hemisphere is tilted away from the sun. As a result, the sunlight is less direct and spread out, leading to shorter days and weaker sunlight. This causes the temperatures to drop and brings colder weather during winter.
The in-between seasons, spring and autumn, occur as the Earth transitions between these extremes. During these seasons, the tilt of the Earth's axis is neither directly towards nor directly away from the sun, resulting in more moderate temperatures.
Thus, the combination of the Earth's tilt and its orbit around the sun leads to the variation in sunlight and temperature throughout the year, giving us the different seasons.