- Question 4:
- Do other planets have seasons? Based on your
knowledge of what causes seasons, decide whether the planets
shown in the illustration "Other planets' tilts" might
have seasons.
- Answer:
- Seasonal changes may occur during a planet's
trip around the Sun if the planet's axis tilts enough
to allow some areas of the surface to heat more than other areas.
Of
the planets shown, the ones with enough tilt to cause seasons
are Earth, Mars, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto. These planets would
be expected to show seasonal changes. However, a planet without
an atmosphere, like Pluto, would not show seasons.
Uranus is
tilted so that it almost lies on its side, but it will still
show seasons as it travels around the Sun. First, one pole points
toward the Sun (and the other points away), and then the other
pole points toward the Sun (and the first points away).
Mercury
is not tilted, so it would not have seasons. Jupiter's
tilt is very slight — not enough to cause seasonal changes.
Venus' axis is almost flipped upside down. It does not have seasons.
Even if Venus had a tilt that could give it seasons, its thick
atmosphere would hide any variation in sunlight, so Venus would
not show seasonal changes.
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