Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms
(OBS) Illuminating Earth over a Year

Relationships Between Patterns and Tilt

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Read more about June and December in New York City and Melbourne. As you read about each location, observe Earth’s tilt relative to the Sun in each orbit diagram. Notice the direction of the tilt when each hemisphere experiences summer and winter.

Click each image to view a larger version. Then answer the Take Notes question below.

Earth in JUNE

Earth in June
[top section] New York City, USA. [text bullets] 1. The summer solstice in June is the day with the most hours of daylight in the Northern hemisphere. 2. It is the beginning of summer, which is hot in New York City. [image] On a sunny day at a city park with green grass and full green trees, people bicycle and roller skate. A globe icon shows that New York City is in the northern hemisphere. [middle section] Melbourne Australia. [text bullets] 1. The winter solstice in June is the day with the fewest hours of daylight in the Southern Hemisphere. 2. It is the beginning of winter, which is cool in Melbourne. [image] Along a river, an empty path lined with bare, leafless trees leads to city buildings in the background. A globe icon shows that Melbourne is in the southern hemisphere. [bottom section] Earth’s orbit shown in a side view. In June, Earth is on the left of the Sun. The northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and the southern hemisphere is tilted away.

Earth in DECEMBER

Earth in December
[top section] New York City, USA. [text bullets] 1. The winter solstice in December is the day with the fewest hours of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere. 2. It is the beginning of winter, which is cold in New York City. Image: A taxi driving down a road covered with slushy snow and lined with leafless trees. A globe icon shows that New York City is in the northern hemisphere. [middle section] Melbourne Australia. [text bullets] 1. The summer solstice in December is the day with the most hours of daylight in the Southern Hemisphere. It is the beginning of summer, which is warm in Melbourne. [image] A small boat motoring on a river lined with green grass and leafy trees with city buildings in the background. A globe icon shows that Melbourne is in the southern hemisphere. [bottom section] Earth’s orbit shown in a side view. In June, Earth is on the left of the Sun. The northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and the southern hemisphere is tilted away.

Take Notes

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Describe the relationship between the seasonal patterns and Earth’s tilt in the June and December points in Earth’s orbit. Use evidence from the text and diagrams to support your description.

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