Axial Tilt

Axial Tilt

I’m told that 4.5 billion years ago Earth had a collision with a massive object that knocked the planet off kilter and broke off a chunk that became the moon.  These two things in turn created the seasons and tides, our filtering system that built and sustains life as we know it.  The Earth is currently increasing in obliquity, meaning our seasons will be more moderate during this period.  Cooler summers, warmer winters.  I’ve read about much colder winters than we have today and wonder if climate change or the change in obliquity is moderating our winters.

I’m not a scientist and don’t care to think to deeply about obliquity.  But I know that the axial tilt is roughly 23.5 degrees, and during our trip around the sun that makes the days shorter or longer, colder or warmer, and infinitely more interesting than the alternative.  So in December our sunset is way off the mark of where it is in June.  And that’s an interesting enough point for me to dwell on for this moment.