Question

1. set the tilt to 0° and observe the yellow sunlight beams again.

a. what do you notice about the way sunlight hits earth when there is no tilt?
b. based on what you see, would we still have seasons if earth had no tilt? explain your reasoning.

Explanation:

Part a

When Earth's tilt is \(0^\circ\), the sun's rays (yellow beams) hit the Earth more uniformly. The sunlight strikes the equator and other latitudes at a relatively consistent angle, with no variation in the angle of incidence due to tilt - related seasonal changes. The rays are more direct and evenly distributed across the Earth's surface (in terms of the tilt - induced variation being eliminated).

Seasons are primarily caused by the Earth's axial tilt, which leads to different latitudes receiving different amounts of solar energy at different times of the year (as the Earth orbits the sun). If Earth had no tilt, the angle at which sunlight hits each latitude would remain constant throughout the year. So, there would be no variation in solar energy received by different regions over the course of the year that is associated with tilt. This means the temperature and daylight patterns would not change seasonally in the way we experience now. There would be no distinct seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter) as we know them because the key driver of seasonal changes (axial tilt) would be absent.

Answer:

The sunlight hits Earth at a relatively consistent angle across latitudes, with no tilt - induced variation in the angle of incidence; the rays are more uniformly distributed (in terms of tilt - related differences) and strike at a more consistent angle.

Part b