Answer:
What causes the pattern of day and night?
The pattern of day and night is caused by the rotation of the Earth on its axis. As the Earth rotates, different parts of the planet receive different amounts of sunlight. The side of the Earth facing the Sun experiences daylight, while the side facing away from the Sun experiences darkness or night. This rotation takes approximately 24 hours to complete, resulting in a regular pattern of day and night.
What causes the pattern of the seasons?
The pattern of the seasons is caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis and its orbit around the sun. Earth's axis is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees from the vertical and it remains tilted as it orbits around the sun. This tilt causes different parts of the Earth to receive varying amounts of sunlight throughout the year, resulting in the four seasons - spring, summer, fall, and winter. When the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, it experiences summer, while the southern hemisphere experiences winter. Six months later, when the northern hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, it experiences winter, while the southern hemisphere experiences summer. The equinoxes, which happen twice a year, mark the time when the plane of the Earth's equator passes through the center of the sun, resulting in a nearly equal amount of daylight and darkness across the globe.
Step-by-step explanation: