Why is it hot in summer and cold in winter?
Earth's Loyal Lean
Why is it hot in summer and cold in winter?
Here's a question that feels like it should have an obvious answer: why is summer hot and winter cold? Most people guess it's because Earth swings closer to the Sun in summer. Plot twist — that's not it at all. Earth is actually a tiny bit farther from the Sun in July, when much of the world is sweating. So if distance isn't the trick, what is? It comes down to a tilt.
Earth doesn't sit up straight as it orbits the Sun. It leans — always at the same angle, about 23 and a half degrees, like a spinning top that never quite tips over. And here's the crucial part: it keeps leaning the same direction the whole way around its year-long loop. It doesn't wobble to face the Sun. It just stubbornly points the same way, all year long.
