The+hot+or+cold+truth+about+seasons

My family had a campfire last night where we were melting marshmallows. The closer I was to the heat source (the fire) the hotter I became. As I moved away from the fire it cooled down very quickly. I know that the Sun is a bright, fiery ball of gas, so the proximity of the Earth to the Sun is the reason for seasons. I'm a little confused because my older brother said that the Earth is farthest from the sun in the summer. This can't be true because it would be colder if we were far away, correct?

While it is true with many heat sources such as fire or an incandescent lightbulb, the closer you are, the warmer it will be. The same does not hold for the sun which is on average about 93,000,000 miles away from the Earth. The Earth does travel in a slightly elliptical path as it revolves around the sun. Infact, during the summer months the sun and earth are actually farthest away from each other. Can you guess which months they are the closest? If you said the winter, you guessed correctly! Watch the following video to learn more. media type="youtube" key="DuiQvPLWziQ" height="244" width="296"

This video goes more in depth and helps give you a deeper understanding media type="youtube" key="taHTA7S_JGk" height="243" width="295"

The following websites have an interactive simulation so that you can manipulate the earth and sun and see how it affects the seasons for a given time of year.

[|Season simulation]

[|Another simulation] When you go to the linked webpage, you will need to click the "continue to simulation" in the upper right hand corner.

So, can you explain the reason for seasons now? Please provide an explanation below. There are two additional questions that I have been wondering about.

===**If June 21 is the day when we receive the most sunshine, why is it regarded as the beginning of summer and not its peak? And similarly, why is December 21, the day of least sunshine, the beginning of winter and not mid-winter day?**===



What if the Earth's axis were tilted 90° to the ecliptic? Are there any celestial body's that would give us an idea of what would happen?
CT Standard: 5.3.a. The positions of the earth and moon relative to the sun explain the cycles of day and night, and the monthly moon phases.