by Kat Troche of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific
Right here on Earth, we endure a altering of seasons each three months. However what about the remainder of the Photo voltaic System? What does a sunny day on Mars appear to be? How lengthy would a winter on Neptune be? Let’s take a tour of another planets and ask ourselves what seasons may appear to be there.
Though Mars and Earth have almost an identical axial tilts, a yr on Mars lasts 687 Earth days (almost 2 Earth years) as a result of its common distance of 142 million miles from the Solar, making it late autumn on the crimson planet. This distance and a skinny ambiance make it lower than good sweater climate. A current climate report from Gale Crater boasted a excessive of -18 levels Fahrenheit for the week of Might 20, 2025.
Saturn has a 27-degree tilt, similar to the 25-degree tilt of Mars and the 23-degree tilt of Earth. However that’s the place the similarities finish. With a 29-year orbit, a single season on the ringed planet lasts seven years. Whereas we are able to’t expertise a Saturnian season, we are able to observe a ring aircraft crossing right here on Earth as a substitute. The newest aircraft crossing befell in March 2025, permitting us to see Saturn’s rings ‘disappear’ from view.
Even additional away from the Solar, every season on Neptune lasts over 40 years. Though adjustments are slower and fewer dramatic than on Earth, scientists have noticed seasonal exercise in Neptune’s ambiance. These photos had been taken between 1996 and 2002 with the Hubble House Telescope, with brightness within the southern hemisphere indicating seasonal change.
As we welcome summer season right here on Earth, you possibly can construct a Suntrack mannequin that helps reveal the trail the Solar takes by means of the sky through the seasons. You could find much more enjoyable actions and assets like this mannequin on NASA’s Wavelength and Power exercise.
