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An Epic View of the Seasons
NASA's EPIC camera aboard the DSCOVR mission provides imagery illustrating how Earth's axial tilt shifts the apparent positions of continents throughout the seasons.
Why it matters
These images provide a visual way to understand how the tilt of Earth's axis creates seasonal changes in sunlight and temperature across the globe.
The big picture
This article complements previous coverage regarding the equinox and how Earth's tilt affects sunlight distribution between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
The details
Variations in Earth's apparent size in the images result from DSCOVR's changing distance from the planet. The angle between the Sun, Earth, and satellite varies between 2 and 12 degrees, affecting how round the disk appears. The mission has collected over a decade of data on features like vegetation, ice, and aerosols. Earth's tilt is believed to be the result of a collision with a planetary body called Theia 4.5 billion years ago.
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