How the Earth and Sun Interact to Create Seasons

Provided by: Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies |Published on: November 14, 2023

Data, Graphs, and Maps

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Scientist Reviewed ↗

Synopsis

This interactive simulation shows how the Earth’s axis, along with its orbit around the sun, causes the four seasons.
Students can manipulate the simulation with various controls and change the view, add rotation, add or change the speed of the orbit, or see where the Earth is in its orbit during a specific month.

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Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences

Authors: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Space Science and Engineering Center

Region: Global

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

Students will appreciate the simple controls.
The map view clearly shows students where the sun's energy is most concentrated at different points in the year.

Additional Prerequisites

Teachers may want to point out that nothing is to scale in this simulation. This is acknowledged in a pop-up notice when you open the webpage.
Students should know the sun's role in the seasons and how the Earth orbits around the Sun.
Walk students through the controls before having them do any independent exploration.

Differentiation

Discuss how the Earth's axis and orbit affect the climate of different regions. Extend the discussion to evaluate how those climates are changing.
Creative writing classes can have students imagine their year with a different orbit. How are the seasons different?
Math students can analyze the data on the side of the simulation and toggle on or off the insolation curve, which provides the data for the amount of energy from the Sun at different latitudes.
Students in social studies classes can research and discuss how different groups in the past have interpreted and used knowledge about the Earth's rotation and orbit to influence their calendars and culture.
Have students identify the solstices and equinoxes using the simulator.

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How the Earth and Sun Interact to Create Seasons

Synopsis

Teaching Materials

Scientist Reviewed

Related Teaching Resources