- The region of Earth around the Equator, the seasons are spring, summer, autumn and winter. Each season lasts 3 months.
- The time of year at which these seasons occur is different depending on what part of the world you are in.
- In Ireland the summer months are May, June and July.
- In Australia the summer months are November, December and January.
Summer in the Northern Hemisphere
- Earth has seasons because its axis is tilted.
- As Earth orbits the sun the tilt does not change.
- During our summer in Ireland the Earth is positioned so that the northern hemisphere is tilted near the sun.
- This tilt towards the sun means that there can be up to 18 hours of sunshine throughout the day in the middle of an Irish summer.
Winter in the Northern Hemisphere
- During winter in the northern hemisphere the earth is positioned so that the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun.
The Changing of the Seasons
- As Earth moves around the sun the hours of daylight and the concentration of sunlight gradually change.
- The change from summer to winter is called autumn and the change from winter to summer is called spring.
Seasons in the Southern Hemisphere
- Seasons in the southern hemisphere are always opposite of the seasons in the northern hemisphere.
- During our summer while the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, the southern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun.
- This means that during our summer it is winter in the southern hemisphere.