A steady orbit
A nearly circular path keeps heat steady.
Round the Sun
The orbits of most planets, including Earth, are almost circular.
What does this do for the temperature?
What this lesson covers
The idea
Earth's nearly circular orbit keeps the amount of sunlight and heat it receives nearly steady through the year, preventing extreme summers and winters at most places.
Round the Sun
The orbits of most planets, including Earth, are almost circular.
What does this do for the temperature?
- It keeps sunlight and heat nearly steady
- It makes summers extreme
- It stops the seasons
A nearly circular orbit
Press Next step.
Steady heat
In our solar system the orbits of most planets, including the Earth, are almost circular. This keeps the amount of sunlight and heat nearly steady throughout the year, preventing extreme summers and winters at most places.
Earth's nearly circular orbit keeps sunlight and heat nearly steady through the year, preventing extreme summers and winters at most places.
Notes
A nearly circular orbit keeps Earth's heat steady.
Check yourself
Earth's orbit around the Sun is …
A nearly circular orbit keeps the sunlight and heat …
It helps prevent …
Most planets in the solar system have orbits that are …
- very long and thin. Most planets, including Earth, have almost circular orbits.
- nearly circular — correct. Yes!
- a straight line. Earth's orbit is nearly circular.
- changing wildly. It keeps them nearly steady.
- equal to zero. The Earth gets sunlight all year.
- nearly steady through the year — correct. Yes!
- extreme summers and winters at most places — correct. Yes!
- all rain. It helps prevent extreme summers and winters.
- the Moon's phases. It does not affect the Moon's phases.
- square. Planet orbits are almost circular.
- almost circular — correct. Yes!
- very flat lines. Planet orbits are almost circular.