Question

How would life on earth be different if earth’s axis were not tilted with respect to its orbit?

Answer 1

HI, The lack of a tilt of the Earth with respect to the plane of its orbit would create substantially different climate conditions on the planet. The tilt is what causes seasonal changes as the Earth goes around the Sun. If the Earth's axis were not tilted, the following physical effects would occur: at a given latitude, the sun would rise and set at the same time every day;at a given latitude, the Sun would always elevate to the same zenith point each day at local noon time, at which time the Sun would always be due South for inhabitants of the Northern hemisphere, due North for the Southern hemisphere, and directly overhead for the equator, and the azimuth would always be (90-ABS(latitude)); andat a given latitude, the amount of daylight in a day (in hours) would always be (12 + (12 * Sin(ABS(latitude)))) These effects could give rise to the following changes: there would be no variation in the duration of daylight throughout the year;the further North you traveled in the Northern hemisphere or the further South you traveled in the Southern hemisphere, the less solar radiation would be received. Closer to the poles, days would be shorter and temperatures generally colder.the North Pole and South Pole would be in a continuous, never-ending state of sunrise/sunset, and would see the Sun circle along the horizon.there would be no seasons throughout the year - at a given lattitude, the climate would remain steady throughout the year