what causes seasons

The seasons are caused by the Earths tilted axis. Earths axis is an imaginary pole going right through the center of Earth from "top" to "bottom." Earth spins around this pole, making one complete turn each day. That is why we have day and night, and why every part of Earths surface gets some of each. Earths axis is tilted at an angle of about 23.5 degrees relative to its orbit around the sun. This means different parts of the Earth receive different amounts of sunlight throughout the year, causing the seasons. When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, it is summer in that hemisphere, and when it is tilted away, it is winter. The opposite is true for the Southern Hemisphere. The distance between the Earth and the Sun does not cause the seasons, although Earths orbit is not a perfect circle, and during part of the year, Earth is closer to the Sun than at other times. However, in the Northern Hemisphere, we are having winter when Earth is closest to the Sun and summer when it is farthest away.