A year around the Sun
The Sun burns at the middle of the frame inside a wide glow, tagged SUN. One ring is drawn around it for Earth's orbit, and Earth rides that ring as a small blue globe tagged EARTH. The twelve zodiac names ring the whole scene from far outside it, and whichever ones the camera is pointed at are in frame. The orbit ring is cut into four coloured arcs. The arc Earth sits in is named for the season it brings the northern half of the world. Earth's axis carries a tag reading TILT 23.44°, and a cyan ring on the orbit plane marks where Earth has reached.
One year around the Sun
Why does the year have seasons? Earth keeps its tilt as it circles the Sun.
Start with Seasons One year around the Sun
JANUARY
Earth’s axis tilts 23.44° and aims the same way all year. That tilt makes the seasons.
Switch to south Why this happens
Zodiac · ecliptic
From Earth, the Sun covers CAPRICORN Gold line: Earth → Sun → star background. The Sun drifts ~1°/day along the ecliptic, its yearly track. Daylight glare hides those stars now. This view names the signs that have room.
With the Sun Six months later
Day sky · constellation lost in glare
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The year is running at one year per second. Adjust time to pause or change the speed.
What makes the Sun rise? Why is that a birth sign? Stars in 3D Why this happens
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The year is running at one year per second. Adjust time to pause or change the speed.
What makes the Sun rise? 43.7° N · your place Compare latitude
Why summer days are longer Tilt raises the summer arc so the Sun stays up longer. Speed the year for the analemma: same-clock dots draw a figure eight.
Why this happens Why the Sun rises and sets
Earth spins The gold YOU marker is your place. Earth carries it across the day-night edge, the terminator, into daylight, then back into night.
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The year is running at one year per second. Adjust time to pause or change the speed.
What makes the Sun rise? 43.7° N · 79.4° W · your place Compare latitude
Why the sky wheels Why this happens
The Moon’s path tips about 5° from the ecliptic. Most months its shadow misses Earth. Move the slider to line the Moon up with a node and land the shadow.
Solar · New Moon Lunar · Full Moon
25% aligned · miss Recommended path · 1 / 6
The year is running at one year per second. Adjust time to pause or change the speed.
What makes the Sun rise? At 100% the Moon's shadow paints Earth: dark umbra core, wide partial penumbra. Sizes are exaggerated. The orbit tilt is drawn at 30°, and the real one is about 5°.
Why eclipses? Explore real eclipse dates
Next eclipses near you
Why this happens
Meteor showers
Shooting stars A shooting star is glowing air about 100 km up. A dust grain from space enters the atmosphere and heats a channel of air white in under a second.
A meteor shower comes when Earth crosses dust a comet shed along its orbit. Earth reaches each crossing in the same weeks every year.
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The year is running at one year per second. Adjust time to pause or change the speed.
What makes the Sun rise? What are shooting stars? When to watch Seasons Spin Sun path Zodiac Eclipses Showers