Science Common Sense

47 - What causes seasons to change?

Seasons change because of the way the Earth moves around the Sun. Imagine the Earth is like a big ball, and it's tilted on its side as it rotates. As the Earth moves around the Sun, different parts of the planet get more or less sunlight throughout the year.

When the part of the Earth where you live is tilted towards the Sun, you get more sunlight and it's warmer, which is usually summer. When it's tilted away from the Sun, you get less sunlight and it's colder, which is usually winter.

This is why we have different seasons at different times of the year. The Earth's tilt and movement around the Sun create the changes in the seasons.