NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Seasons are the parts of the year called winter, spring, summer, and autumn, or fall. Each season lasts about three months. Each season brings changes in temperature, weather, and the length of daylight.

Image to right: The changing seasons are caused by the changing position of the Earth in relation to the sun. Credit: World Book illustration by Roberta Polfus

The changing seasons are caused by the changing position of the Earth in relation to the sun. Different parts of the Earth get different amounts of sunlight as the Earth travels around the sun. When the North Pole is slanted toward the sun, it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere -- the northern half of the Earth. The sun's rays shine on the Earth from a high angle, so northern areas get a lot of sunlight. At the same time, the South Pole is slanted away from the sun and it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

How to cite this article: To cite this article, World Book recommends the following format: "Season." The World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, Inc., 2005.

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