The tilted Earth
The axis leans, and keeps leaning.
Straight up or leaning?
Look at a globe on a stand. Its axis is not straight up.
Is the Earth’s axis upright or tilted compared to its orbit?
What this lesson covers
The idea
The Earth's axis of rotation is tilted, not upright, with respect to its orbit and keeps this tilt as it orbits the Sun; the tilt and the Earth's spherical shape give rise to seasons.
Straight up or leaning?
Look at a globe on a stand. Its axis is not straight up.
Is the Earth’s axis upright or tilted compared to its orbit?
- Tilted
- Upright
- It changes every hour
From June to December
Move the Earth along its orbit. The grey dashed line shows upright. Watch the red axis.
The tilt stays the same way
The axis leans and keeps leaning the same way all through the orbit. This tilt, and the round shape of the Earth, give rise to seasons.
The Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted, not upright, with respect to its orbit and keeps this tilt as it orbits the Sun; the tilt and the Earth’s spherical shape give rise to seasons.
Notes
The Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted, not upright, with respect to its orbit and keeps this tilt as it orbits the Sun; the tilt and the Earth’s spherical shape give rise to seasons.
Check yourself
The Earth’s axis, compared to its orbit, is …
As the Earth goes round the Sun, its tilt …
Seasons are caused by the Earth’s tilt and its …
In June, the North end of the Earth’s axis leans …
- upright. The axis is not upright. It is tilted.
- tilted — correct. Yes! It leans.
- flat on the ground. The axis is tilted, but it is not lying flat.
- changes every day. The Earth keeps its tilt as it orbits the Sun.
- goes away in winter. The tilt does not go away. It stays all year.
- stays the same — correct. Yes! The axis keeps leaning the same way.
- spherical shape — correct. Yes! The tilt and the round shape together give seasons.
- colour. The colour of the Earth has no effect on the seasons.
- distance from the Moon. The Moon does not decide the seasons.
- away from the Sun. That is what happens in December.
- towards the Sun — correct. Yes! In June the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun.
- neither way, it stands straight. The axis is tilted all the time, so it is never straight up.