Question

c. earth has a tilt of ninety degrees and the north pole always faces the sun.
how many seasons will we have during the year?
describe what happens to the north pole throughout the year.

part iii:
predict how many seasons occur for the other planets in our solar system.
how many seasons does mercury, venus, & jupiter have based on the location of the axis?
how many seasons does earth, mars, saturn, and neptune have based on the location of the axis?
how many seasons does uranus & pluto have based on the location of the axis?

Explanation:

Step1: Understand the concept of seasons

Seasons are caused by the tilt of a planet's axis and its orbit around the Sun. The changing angle of sunlight hitting different parts of the planet over time leads to seasonal changes.

Step2: Analyze Earth's case with 90 - degree tilt

With a 90 - degree tilt and the North Pole always facing the Sun, the sunlight distribution does not change, so 1 season.

Step3: Consider planets with small tilts (Mercury, Venus, Jupiter)

Small tilts mean little change in sunlight angle, resulting in minimal or no seasons.

Step4: Analyze planets with Earth - like tilts (Earth, Mars, Saturn, Neptune)

Similar tilts to Earth lead to 4 seasons, with the length of seasons depending on the orbital period.

Step5: Examine planets with extreme tilts (Uranus, Pluto)

Extreme tilts cause long - lasting and complex seasonal variations, but still 4 seasons based on the orbit around the Sun.

Answer:

1. If Earth has a tilt of ninety degrees and the North Pole always faces the Sun, we would have 1 season throughout the year. This is because the angle of sunlight hitting different parts of the planet would not change significantly over the course of its orbit around the Sun.

Describe what happens to the North Pole throughout the year: The North Pole would continuously receive direct sunlight throughout the year, remaining in a state of perpetual summer - like conditions while the South Pole would be in continuous darkness.

2.

• Mercury: Mercury has a very small axial tilt (about 0.01°). It has essentially no seasons as the angle of sunlight on its surface does not change much during its orbit.
• Venus: Venus has an axial tilt of about 177.36°. This is a retrograde tilt. However, due to its thick atmosphere and slow rotation, it has very little seasonal variation. So, effectively, it has close to no distinct seasons.
• Jupiter: Jupiter has an axial tilt of about 3.13°. It has very minor seasonal changes, close to having no distinct seasons as the change in the angle of sunlight is minimal.

3.

• Earth: Earth has an axial tilt of about 23.5°. It has 4 distinct seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter) due to the changing angle of sunlight as it orbits the Sun.
• Mars: Mars has an axial tilt of about 25.19°, similar to Earth's. It also has 4 seasons, but they are longer than Earth's seasons because Mars has a longer orbital period around the Sun.
• Saturn: Saturn has an axial tilt of about 26.73°. It has 4 seasons, and they are very long - lasting as Saturn's orbital period around the Sun is about 29.5 Earth years.
• Neptune: Neptune has an axial tilt of about 28.32°. It has 4 seasons, and like the other outer planets, its long orbital period (about 164.8 Earth years) makes its seasons extremely long.

4.

• Uranus: Uranus has an extreme axial tilt of about 98°. This means that during its orbit around the Sun, different parts of the planet experience very long periods of sunlight or darkness. It has 4 seasons, but they are extremely long - lasting, with each season lasting about a quarter of its 84 - year orbital period.
• Pluto: Pluto has an axial tilt of about 118° (or - 72° depending on the reference). It has seasons, but due to its highly elliptical orbit and complex tilt, its seasonal variations are very complex. It has 4 seasons, but they are very long - lasting given its long orbital period of about 248 Earth years.