Flexi Says: The seasons are caused by the 23.5 degrees tilt of Earth’s axis of rotation relative to its plane of orbit around the Sun. Solstice refers to the position of the Sun when it is closest to one of the poles. At summer solstice, June 21 or 22, Earth’s axis points toward the Sun and so the Sun is directly overhead at its furthest north point of the year, the Tropic of Cancer. During the summer, areas north of the Equator experience longer days and shorter nights. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Sun is as far away as it will be and so it is their winter. Locations will have longer nights and shorter days. The opposite occurs on winter solstice, which begins on December 21.
