Fall Colors   

   The change of season is one of my favorite things about living in Northern Nevada. Fall is the season I find to be most dramatic. As I look at the trees changing colors day by day, to the most beautiful colors, I am blown away by nature once again. The way nature changes with the seasons is phenomenal, but what causes these changes?

     The change of season is caused by the earth’s tilt on its axis. Our planet is not “standing” straight up and down, it is tilted a little bit. The earth creates one full rotation every 24 hours giving us night and day while orbiting the sun. Then as Earth orbits the Sun, its tilted axis always points the same direction. Therefore, throughout the year, different parts of Earth get the Sun’s direct rays. So, when the North Pole is tilted towards the sun it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere and when the South Pole is pointed towards the sun it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

     How amazing is this world we live in. There is a burning ball of gas that weighs 1.989x10^30 kg. and is 92.791 million miles away controlling the colors of the fall leaves.