axial tilt
Orbital axis angle
Axial tilt is the angle between a planet's rotational axis and its orbital plane around the sun.
Earth's axial tilt of about 23.5 degrees causes the seasons—when the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the sun, it experiences summer while the Southern Hemisphere has winter.
A planet with no axial tilt would have no seasonal variation.
Angular deviation from perpendicular
- eclipticSun's apparent annual path
- celestial equatorSphere's midplane above us
- declinationAngular distance from equator
- precessionRotating axis gradually reorients
nutation · orbital plane · angular momentum · Milankovitch cycles · wobble · epoch · celestial sphere
Angular deviation from perpendicular
- inclinationDisposition toward something
- summerYear's warmest season
- winterYear's coldest quarter
- autumnPost-summer cooling period
spring · solstice · equinox · photoperiod · daylight · insolation · hemisphere · temperature
Study of prehistoric climates
- ice ageEra of massive glaciation
- glaciationIce sheet spreading process
- interglacialEpoch between major freezes
- Milankovitch cyclesOrbital shifts affecting climate
Disposition toward something
- eccentricityUnconventional behavior or nature
- aphelionFarthest point from sun
- perihelionOrbital point nearest sun
- ellipticalOval-shaped or indirect
revolution · gravitational pull · sidereal · synodic · anomalistic
Geographic or personal freedom
- polar regionsEarth's coldest latitudes
- temperate zonesModerate climate regions
- tropicsWarm equatorial region
- midnight sunPerpetual summer daylight above Arctic Circle
obliquity
Angular deviation from perpendicular
- eclipticSun's apparent annual path
- celestial equatorSphere's midplane above us
- declinationAngular distance from equator
precession · nutation · orbital plane · angular momentum · Milankovitch cycles · wobble · epoch · celestial sphere
obliquity
Angular deviation from perpendicular
- inclinationDisposition toward something
- summerYear's warmest season
- winterYear's coldest quarter
autumn · spring · solstice · equinox · photoperiod · daylight · insolation · hemisphere · temperature · growth
paleoclimatology
Study of prehistoric climates
- ice ageEra of massive glaciation
- glaciationIce sheet spreading process
- interglacialEpoch between major freezes
Milankovitch cycles · climate zones · polar vortex · glacial cycles
inclination
Disposition toward something
- eccentricityUnconventional behavior or nature
- aphelionFarthest point from sun
- perihelionOrbital point nearest sun
elliptical · revolution · gravitational pull · sidereal · synodic · anomalistic
latitude
Geographic or personal freedom
- polar regionsEarth's coldest latitudes
- temperate zonesModerate climate regions
- tropicsWarm equatorial region