\n<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, sunlight in summertime reaches the ground at an angle perpendicular to the surface \u2014 it comes straight at the ground. In winter, sunlight comes in at a sharper angle. This spreads the Sun\u2019s light across a larger area, delivering less light \u2014 and therefore less warmth \u2014 per square meter.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The differences in duration of daylight and the angle at which sunlight is delivered are the primary drivers of temperature changes between seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These changes don\u2019t happen across the entirety of Earth\u2019s surface, though. Around the equator, the amount of daylight doesn\u2019t change significantly throughout the year. Because the equator lies midway between the poles, Earth’s tilt causes much smaller seasonal changes in day length and sunlight there than at higher latitudes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In Ecuador, for example, days and nights are consistently about 12 hours long all year. Between June and December, daylight only fluctuates by about 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the exact location. In equatorial regions, slight changes in the angle at which sunlight arrives play a bigger role than daylight. But still, temperatures in Ecuador remain relatively consistent throughout the year, with seasonal changes tied more to rainfall patterns rather than to heat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Halfway between the solstices are the equinoxes, which mark the beginning of spring and autumn. During an equinox, day and night are nearly equal in length across most of Earth. This happens when neither pole is pointed toward the Sun; instead, Earth is positioned so that the Sun shines directly over the equator, and Earth’s rotational axis is perpendicular to the Earth-Sun line.<\/p>\n
Earth isn\u2019t the only place in our Solar System with seasons. Any planet with an axial tilt will experience seasons, though the strength of those seasons can also be affected by the shape of its orbit.<\/p>\n
Jupiter and Venus don\u2019t have enough of a tilt to show much seasonal variation, and their relatively round orbits mean they stay roughly the same distance from the Sun year-round. Mercury, on the other hand, has an elliptical orbit, meaning that despite not having a significant axial tilt, it still experiences seasons.\u00a0Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and many dwarf planets all have distinct seasons due to their tilts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n