Weird Science: Different Seasons

Weird Science: Different Seasons

We can assume that the year is chopped equally into four seasons. But we would be wrong.

Seasons are the same length. In fact, no two seasons are the same length. They are all different. But why?

Well, the earth travels around the sun (blaspheme, I know) in something called an ellipse and not a circle. An ellipse is a oval shape.

So you see, the earth is closest to the sun in January so gravitational forces whip the planet around the sun faster than in the summer season when it is farthest away from the sun.

And yes, you sharp keener out there, this pertains to the Northern Hemisphere.

This makes the (again with the Northern Hemisphere) autumn and winter seasons slightly shorter than the spring and summer ones. But what exactly are you babbling about, you ask?

Well, here are the seasons in days to help explain.

Spring - 92.76 days
Summer - 93.65 days
Autumn - 89.84 days
Winter - 88.99 days