(c) what is a leap year? (d) differentiate between the summer and winter solstice.

What is an equinox?

Answer: The day when day and night are of equal length is called equinox. Equinox falls on 21st March and 23rd September.

Why does the Southern Hemisphere experience Winter and Summer Solstice in different times than that of the Northern Hemisphere?

Answer: This happens because of the angle between earth’s axis and its orbit. On 21st June, the sunlight falls directly on the Tropic of Cancer. Hence, it is summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. One 22nd December, the sunlight falls directly on the Tropic of Capricorn. Hence, it is summer solstice in southern hemisphere.

Why do the poles experience about six months day and six months night?

Answer: Because of the angle between the earth’s axis and its orbit, either of the Poles gets sunlight continuously for six months. Due to this, it is six months’ day and six months’ night on the Poles. Between 21st March and 23rd September, it is day time on the North Pole and night on the South Pole. Similarly, between 23rd September and 21st March; it is day time on the South Pole and night on the North Pole.

Answer the following questions briefly.

(a) What is the angle of inclination of the Earth’s axis with its orbital plane?

(b) Define rotation and revolution.

(d) Differentiate between the Summer and Winter Solstice.

(e) What is an equinox?

(f) Why does the Southern Hemisphere experience Winter and Summer Solstice in different times than that of the Northern Hemisphere?

(g) Why do the Poles experience about six months day and six months night?

(a) The angle of inclination of the Earth’s axis with its orbital plane is 66½°.

(b) Rotation is the movement of the Earth on its axis.

Revolution is the movement of the Earth around the Sun in a fixed path or orbit.

(c) Earth takes 365¼ days to revolve around the Sun. However, for the sake of convenience, we consider a year as consisting of 365 days. The six hours (1/4th of 24 hours) that are ignored make one day (24 hours) over a span of four years. This surplus day is added to the month of February. Thus, every fourth year, February has 29 days, and such a year (with 366 days) is known as a leap year.

(d)

Summer Solstice	Winter Solstice
It is the position of the Earth when the rays of the Sun fall directly on the Tropic of Cancer.	It is the position of the Earth when the rays of the Sun fall directly on the Tropic of Capricorn
In this position, the North Pole is tilted towards the Sun.	In this position, the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun.
A larger portion of the Northern Hemisphere gets light from the Sun; hence, it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere.	A larger portion of the Southern Hemisphere gets light from the Sun; hence, it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
During this period in the Northern Hemisphere, days are longer than nights.	During this period in the Northern Hemisphere, nights are longer than days.

(e) Equinox is the position of the Earth when the rays of the Sun fall directly on the Equator. At this position, neither of the Poles is tilted towards the Sun. As a result, the entire Earth has equal days and equal nights.

(f) When the North Pole is tilted towards the Sun, the Northern Hemisphere experiences Summer Solstice. At this time, since the South Pole is tilted away from the Sun, the Southern Hemisphere experiences Winter Solstice.

When the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun, the Northern Hemisphere experiences Winter Solstice. At this time, since the South Pole is tilted towards the Sun, the Southern Hemisphere experiences Summer Solstice.

(g) The Poles experience about six months of day and six months of night because of the tilt of the Earth on its axis. Because of this tilt, each Pole is tilted towards and away from the Sun for about six months each.

When the North Pole is tilted towards the Sun, it experiences continuous daylight for six months. It is night for the same time period at the South Pole. These conditions are reversed when the South Pole is tilted towards the Sun.

Tick the correct answers

(a) The movement of the Earth around the Sun is known as

(i) Rotation

(ii) Revolution

(iii) Inclination

(b) Direct rays of the Sun fall on the Equator on

(i) 21 March

(ii) 21 June

(iii) 22 December

(i) Japan

(ii) India

(iii) Australia

(d) Cycle of seasons is caused due to

(i) Rotation

(ii) Revolution

(iii) Gravitation

(a) The movement of the Earth around the Sun is known as

(i) Rotation

(ii) Revolution

(iii) Inclination

(b) Direct rays of the Sun fall on the Equator on

(i) 21 March

(ii) 21 June

(iii) 22 December

(c) Christmas is celebrated in summer in

(i) Japan

(ii) India

(iii) Australia

(d) Cycle of seasons is caused due to

(i) Rotation

(ii) Revolution

(iii) Gravitation

Fill in the blanks.

(a) A leap year has ________ number of days.

(b) The daily motion of the Earth is _________.

(d) The Sun’s rays fall vertically on the Tropic of _________ on 21st June.

(e) Days are shorter during _________ season

(a) A leap year has 366 number of days.

(b) The daily motion of the Earth is rotational.

(c) The Earth travels around the Sun in a fixed elliptical orbit.

(d) The Sun’s rays fall vertically on the Tropic of Cancer on 21st June.

(e) Days are shorter during winter season.

Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice are used to describe the shortest and longest days of the summer and winter seasons.

The summer solstice occurs when one of the Earth’s poles (North pole) has its maximum tilt toward the Sun.

The winter solstice or hibernal solstice occurs when one of the Earth’s poles (North Pole) has its maximum tilt away from the Sun.

This article will further elaborate upon the differences between Summer and Winter Solstice within the context of the IAS Exam.

Check all the important differences between articles from wide-ranging topics concerning the UPSC exam in the linked article.

(Image source: Class 6 NCERT)

The following table will highlight the differences between summer and winter solstice

Difference Between Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice

Summer Solstice	Winter Solstice
Summer solstice occurs when the North Pole is tilted closest to the Sun	Winter solstice occurs when the North Pole is tilted farthest from the sun
It occurs on 21st June	It occurs on 22nd December
The summer solstice brings the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere, as it is tilted towards the sun.	Winter solstice brings the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere as it is tilted away from the sun
Southern Hemisphere has the shortest night	Southern Hemisphere has the longest days
Sun rays directly fall over Tropic of Cancer	Sun rays directly fall over Tropic of Capricorn
The places beyond the Arctic circle experience continuous daylight for about six months	The places beyond the Antarctic circle experience continuous daylight for about six months
As a large portion of the Northern Hemisphere receives sunlight and heat during the summer solstice, it summers in Northern Hemisphere; whereas winters in Southern Hemisphere	As a large portion of the Southern Hemisphere receives sunlight and heat during the winter solstice, it is summer in Southern Hemisphere, whereas summers in Northern Hemisphere
Although the summer solstice is the longest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, the dates of the earliest sunrise and latest sunset vary by a few days. This is because the Earth orbits the Sun in an ellipse, and its orbital speed varies slightly during the year	Although the winter solstice itself lasts only a moment, the term sometimes refers to the day on which it occurs.
Although the Sun appears at its highest altitude from the viewpoint of an observer in outer space or a terrestrial observer outside tropical latitudes, the highest altitude occurs on a different day for certain locations in the tropics.	Traditionally, in many temperate regions, the winter solstice is seen as the middle of winter, but today in some countries and calendars, it is seen as the beginning of winter.

Some important Geography-related differences between articles are linked below:

Difference Between Advancing and Retreating MonsoonDifference Between Western and Eastern GhatsDifference Between Summer and Winter Equinox:- Download PDF HereAspirants can find complete information about upcoming Government Exams through the linked article. More exam-related preparation materials will be found through the links given below:

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