Earth & Sun

A tilted world

North

South

Explore the orbit

March & September: equinoxes. June & December: solstices. Selecting a position pauses time.

Earth's 23.4° tilt Explore daylight 45° N

hours of daylight

The gold ring marks your latitude. The pale ring is the equator. N marks the North Pole.

Sizes and distances are not to scale. Circular orbit, simplified continents, and geometric daylight (without atmospheric refraction).

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Earth & Sun

Explore how Earth’s spin, tilt, and journey around the Sun create days and seasons. Compare daylight around the world.

A tilted blue and green Earth beside the Sun, with an orbital path and sunlight arrows.

Enable JavaScript in a browser with WebGL 2 to run this interactive simulation.

Earth spins as it travels around the Sun. These two movements help make our days and years.

The side facing the Sun has daylight. As Earth turns, places move into sunlight and back into night.
Earth spins around an imaginary line through its poles, called its axis. This line is tilted and keeps pointing the same way as Earth travels around the Sun.
When the north leans toward the Sun, it gets longer days and more direct sunlight. The south leans away and gets shorter days. This tilt gives the two halves opposite seasons.

Try this: Compare June and December at 45° N, then try 45° S. Turn off the tilt and watch the daylight hours change.