Why are days longer in the summer? Right now, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, it may seem like the spring and summer days are dragging on with more daylight. Days are longer during the summer and shorter during the winter because of the Earth’s tilt. Earth is slightly tilted toward the Sun. As the Earth orbits, or circles around the Sun, different parts of the world get stronger or weaker amounts of sunlight. The Earth’s orbit is not a perfect circle, so in different points in its orbit, the Sun can shine on a part of the Earth longer! That makes longer days. In the summer, the Earth gets in a position where more sunlight hits it. When it is winter, the part of the Earth gets less sunlight each day.
Watch the video at the current time to see a diagram showing the tilt and the effects on seasons!