Actually, though, the Earth is tilted 23.4 degrees! (A circle is 360 degrees.) This tilt is the reason that days are longer in the summer and shorter in the winter. The hemisphere that’s tilted closest to the Sun has the longest, brightest days because it gets more direct light from the Sun’s rays.

Why is summer so long?

As the Earth circles the Sun during the year, half of the Earth get more or less sunlight than the other half of the Earth. In the summer months, the northern half of the Earth, where we live, tilts towards the Sun. This means we get more sunlight, making the days longer.

Are summers getting longer?

In about the past 60 years, summer has increased by 17 days on average across the globe. “Summers are getting longer and hotter while winters shorter and warmer due to global warming,” said Yuping Guan, lead author of the study.