Name: Hanna Smith Class Period 2 Date 9/11/14

SEASONS WEBQUEST
Click on the following link to answer the following questions:
http://www.astronomy.org/programs/seasons/
1. During which season is the earth closest to the sun, summer or winter? Winter
2. Scroll down to the Direct Energy vs. Indirect Energy picture of the flashlights.
3. Direct energy always produces short shadows while indirect energy creates Long shadows.
4. Why is this important to how warm we feel?
In the summer, direct energy reaches the ground in a concentrated form. In the winter, direct
energy spreads out before it reaches the ground.
Click on the following link to answer more questions.
http://vortex.plymouth.edu/sun/sun.html

Click on Why are there seasons?
1. Explain the difference between an equinox and a solstice:
For an equinox, the sunlight strikes the earth directly at the equator. For solstice, the sunligt
strikes the earth most directly at the Tropic of Capricorn.

2. How many of each do we have each year? _____________
Name them:
Solstices: Equinoxes:
a. Winter a. Spring
b. Summer b. Fall

Click on Rotation
1. In which direction does the Earth spin on its axis? East to West
2. Click on Solstices
3. In which direction is the Northern Hemispere tilted during mid - Spring and summer?
Sideways
3. How does this effect the amount of daylight we have during this time?
We get a longer amount of daylight
4. During what time of year does the North Pole experience 24 hours of sunlight?
Half of the year
South pole? Also half of the year
Click on Our Orbit
5. Draw and label the Earths position in relation to the sun during each of the 4 seasons:














Click on Temperatures

1. During what season does the Northern Hemisphere receive more concentrated energy
from the sun? (look at the flashlight example for a clue)
Summer .
2. During what season (time of year) does the Sun have to travel through more atmosphere?
Winter
If you were having to explain the reasons for the seasons to a 5
th
grader who is convinced that
seasons come from being closer or further away from the Sun explain how you would do it
below: (Include at least 3 things you learned from these sites!)
The sun is not at the center of earths orbit. Therefore, when the earth orbits around the sun, its
not the same distance between the sun and earth throughout the entire orbit. When the earth is
closest to the sun, its winter. When its farthest from the sun, its summer. The only time Earth
and the sun are an equal distance is during spring and fall.
5.