How many degrees is Earth's axis tilted?

How many degrees is Earth's axis tilted?

• A. 0 degrees
• B. 23.5 degrees
• C. 45 degrees
• D. 90 degrees

Answer: (B)

Earth’s axis is tilted about 23.5 degrees from vertical relative to the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. That angle makes the Sun appear higher in the sky during part of the year and lower during another part, which changes how much daylight different areas receive. When the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the Sun, days are longer and the Sun’s rays are more direct, giving us summer. When it tilts away, days are shorter and the Sun’s rays are less direct, giving us winter. This tilt also causes the Sun’s path in the sky to rise higher in summer and lower in winter, leading to solstices and equinoxes. If the tilt were 0 degrees, there would be little variation in day length or sunlight through the year, so seasons would be nearly absent. A tilt of 45 or 90 degrees would produce much more extreme and unusual daylight patterns than we experience.

Earth’s axis is tilted about 23.5 degrees from vertical relative to the plane of Earth’s orbit around the Sun. That angle makes the Sun appear higher in the sky during part of the year and lower during another part, which changes how much daylight different areas receive. When the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the Sun, days are longer and the Sun’s rays are more direct, giving us summer. When it tilts away, days are shorter and the Sun’s rays are less direct, giving us winter. This tilt also causes the Sun’s path in the sky to rise higher in summer and lower in winter, leading to solstices and equinoxes. If the tilt were 0 degrees, there would be little variation in day length or sunlight through the year, so seasons would be nearly absent. A tilt of 45 or 90 degrees would produce much more extreme and unusual daylight patterns than we experience.