Boxi Learn › Geography › Stage 2 · Models and Patterns
Why is summer hot?
GEO-3 The Earth is movingX-1 Guess, then checkX-2 Evidence outweighs opinion
What many people think
Summer is when Earth is closer to the Sun.
The idea
Seasons come from Earth's tilted axis (about 23.44°): it changes how high the noon Sun climbs and how long the day lasts. Distance barely matters — Earth is closest to the Sun in early January.
Explain it
A friend says summer is when Earth is closer to the Sun. Use one fact about January and one about Australia to change their mind.
Try at home
Shine a torch straight down on paper, then at a slant, and trace the bright patch each time. The slanted patch is bigger, so each bit of paper gets less light. Bonus: measure your noon shadow once a month.