Why Do We Have Different Seasons? | California Academy of Sciences

Did you know that the Sun’s light shines differently on Earth at different times of the year? In this visualization watch as the Earth orbits the Sun, rotating, like a slightly tilted, spinning top. This rotation changes the angle at which sunlight hits the surface of our planet, creating the different seasons we experience here on Earth. Can you see how sunlight at different times of the year changes the productivity of life on land and in our oceans?

Data Sources: Phytoplankton Bloom Imagery: NASA Modis, Land Productivity Data: NASA Modis Land Science Team, NASA Earth Observatory Team, Imagery: Reto Stockli. Ocean Productivity Data: Michael Behrenfeld, Professor Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, www.science.oregonstate.edu/oceanproductivity. Earth Imagery: NASA Visible Earth.

Video Credit: California Academy of Sciences Visualization Studio

For classroom activities, visit www.calacademy.org/educators/habitat-earth-in-the-classroom

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