In school (US) I moved around a lot and I feel like I learned two separate theories on what makes seasons change: 1) the tilt of the Earth on it’s axis and 2) the distance of the Earth from the Sun during its yearly trip around. I understand that (1) is correct, but why does the slight tilt of the Earth make more of a difference than the actual distance from the Sun? And how is it possible that it’s difference is so significant that the Northern and Southern Hemispheres experience their seasons at different times?
In: Physics
Here’s an experiment you can do at home. Take a laser pointer and point it at the center of a tennis ball, now tilt the tennis ball so its pointing slightly away from the laser pointer. Even though the same amount of light is hitting the ball, its spread over a greater area. This is what happens with the tilt of the earth and the suns rays
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