Q 01/05

Which three months make up summer in the Northern Hemisphere, according to weather forecasters?

A) May, June and July

B) April, May and June

C) July, August and September

D) June, July and August

Answer · why

D) June, July and August

South of the equator it is the other way round: summer there is December, January and February.

Q 02/05

When it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, what season is it in the Southern Hemisphere?

A) Also summer

B) Autumn

C) Spring

D) Winter

Answer · why

D) Winter

That is why Australians can have a barbecue on the beach at Christmas.

Q 03/05

What do we call the day in June with the most daylight in the Northern Hemisphere?

A) The dog day

B) The equinox

C) The summer solstice

D) Midnight sun day

Answer · why

C) The summer solstice

It falls on June 20 or 21, when the North Pole is tilted as far toward the Sun as it gets.

Q 04/05

Why do we have seasons?

A) The Moon blocks the Sun in winter

B) Earth's axis is tilted

C) The Sun gets hotter in summer

D) Earth gets closer to the Sun in summer

Answer · why

B) Earth's axis is tilted

The tilt is about 23.4 degrees, which lifts the Sun higher in the sky and makes days longer in summer.

Q 05/05

About how long does sunlight take to travel from the Sun to Earth?

A) 8 days

B) 8 minutes

C) 8 hours

D) 8 seconds

Answer · why

B) 8 minutes

The Sun is roughly 150 million kilometres away, a distance astronomers call one astronomical unit.