Why Do We Have Fall?

Have you ever seen green leaves turn bright red, orange, and yellow? That means fall is here! Fall is the season that comes right after summer. The air feels cooler, and the days begin to feel shorter. But why does this happen every year?

Our planet Earth is always moving. It travels in a giant circle around the Sun. At the same time, Earth is tilted like a leaning top. Because Earth is tilted, different parts of the world get different amounts of sunlight during the year. This tilt is the big reason we have seasons.

In the summer, our part of Earth tilts toward the bright Sun. We get a lot of warm sunlight, and the days are long. But as Earth keeps moving on its path, our part starts to tilt away from the Sun. When this happens, we get less direct sunlight. The days grow shorter, and the nights grow longer.

With less sunlight, the weather begins to cool down. Plants and trees feel this change right away. Many trees stop making food in their green leaves. The green color fades away, and pretty red, gold, and orange colors show through. Soon, the crisp leaves flutter down to the ground.