<< Back   Start Over >> Look at this animation. The orange circle shows where the sun's most direct rays hit the Earth in each season. Keep an eye on Alaska in the summer and winter. Then read below . . . The sun only appears to move because the Earth is tilted on its axis.   In the winter, sunlight hits Alaska at a low angle. (That's because the sun's most direct rays hit south of the equator.) Winter sun in this location doesn't get much above the horizon, even at noon. Noon on winter solstice. But in the spring and summer, the sun's most direct rays hit further north of the equator. In Alaska, the sun is up high much of the day. In some areas, it doesn't set until after midnight! Midnight near summer solstice. As Alaska (and the rest of North America) moves toward spring and summer, it gets more direct sunlight and more hours of sunlight. That means that more energy hits the Earth. And that warms up our atmosphere and triggers the green wave of spring! See more of the sun in action this month: >>