Science Common Sense


1307 - Why are the days longer in summer and the nights longer in winter.

The reason days are longer in summer and nights are longer in winter is because of the way the Earth moves. The Earth rotates on its side as it goes around the sun, which is called its tilt.

Imagine you're holding a big beach ball (the Earth) at an angle, and shining a flashlight (the sun) on it. When you tilt the ball towards the flashlight, one side gets more light and is brighter, and when you tilt it away, the other side gets less light and is darker.

In summer, the part of the Earth where you live is tilted towards the sun, so you get more sunlight and longer days. In winter, it's tilted away from the sun, so you get less sunlight and longer nights.

That's why we have different seasons and longer or shorter days throughout the year.