Earth Days & Seasons Vocabulary

Rotation

• Earth Spinning on its axis

• This causes us to have day and night

Revolution

• the movement of something in a circle around something else

• Earth REVOLVES around the sun in a path called and ORBIT

Orbit • The path that is taken by an object moving

around a larger object in space

Earth’s Tilt on it’s Axis

• Causes us to experience seasons on Earth

Summer Solstice • Longest daylight day of the year

• June 21st

Winter Solstice • Shortest daylight day of the year

• December 21-22

Equinox

• Day in Spring and Fall when we have equal amounts of sunlight and night.

• March 20-21 (spring)

• September 22-23 (fall)

Autumn

• Nights are usually cool and days are warm

• The number of daylight hours decrease

• Animals prepare for colder weather

Winter

• Fewer hours of daylight – sun sets early

• Colder than other seasons

• Snow is common

• Trees are bare

Spring

• Number of daylight hours increases

• Days are warmer

• Rain & Thunderstorms occur

• Trees get leaves and flowers

Summer

• Hot days and warm nights

• Daylight lasts until late evening

• Trees are usually green