Why is daylight longer in the summer

This is because although we may think the Earth is straight up and down, it is actually tilted at an angle. As the Earth circles the Sun during the year, half of the Earth get more or less sunlight than the other half of the Earth.

In the summer months, the northern half of the Earth, where we live, tilts towards the Sun. This means we get more sunlight, making the days longer. During the fall, the northern half tilts a little bit away from the Sun and the southern half faces a little more towards the Sun.

That is why the days start to get shorter for us, but longer for the other half of the Earth. On December 21, the northern part of the Earth faces the Sun only a small amount. Equinoxes and solstices are key dates in the calendar.

They are used to define the transitional periods between the seasons, so when winter changes to spring, summer to autumn and so on. They are key dates in the journey of the Earth around the Sun. The position of the Sun in relation to the Earth affects how long days and nights are. September 22 is the autumn equinox. June 21 is the summer solstice and the longest day of the year. So what are equinoxes and solstices? Equinox is basically the date twice a year when the amount of day-time we get is equal to the amount of night time we get.

This happens when the sun is positioned exactly above the equator. Equinox occur twice a year, once around the 20th of March which is the spring equinox and again around September the 22nd, known as the autumn equinox. The word equinox comes from two Latin words, equi which means equal and nox meaning night. So, from the day of the spring equinox the day is longer than the night and from the day of the autumn equinox the night becomes longer than the day.

Winter solstice is around December 21st when we have the fewest daylight hours. Equinox refers to the two times each year when the sun's strongest rays are directly hitting the equator. Everywhere on earth has 12 hours of daylight on the spring and fall equinoxes.

In the northern hemisphere, spring equinox occurs around March 21st and autumnal equinox around September 21st. Mystery Class. Earth's yearly revolution, month-by-month. All rights reserved. All seasonal changes — temperature, plant growth and life cycles, animal migrations, and so on — are driven by shifts in: the amount of available sunlight called day length or photoperiod the intensity of sunlight related to the angle at which it strikes the Earth.

Rotation vs.