Why is axial tilt important

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Scientists have been increasingly interested in what makes Earth a haven for life as more and more exoplanets are detected in the sky. All the complex life on Earth needs oxygen to survive. After you breathe in O2, it helps your cells produce most of the energy they need to operate.

In the earliest days of life on Earth, there was very little oxygen, and life was very simple. However, the explosion of photosynthetic organisms boosted oxygen levels and made multicellular life viable. The study, led by Stephanie Olson of Purdue University, used a sophisticated model of Earth to tease out what properties are most vital to fostering the formation of life.

It turns out, axial tilt could have a huge impact. Because this tilt changes, the seasons as we know them can become exaggerated. It's the cool summers that are thought to allow snow and ice to last from year-to-year in high latitudes, eventually building up into massive ice sheets.

There are positive feedbacks in the climate system as well, because an Earth covered with more snow reflects more of the sun's energy into space, causing additional cooling. As the orbit gets more eccentric oval the difference between the distance from the Sun to the Earth at perihelion closest approach and aphelion furthest away becomes greater and greater. Note that the Sun is not at the center of the Earth's orbital ellipse, rather it is at one of focal points.

Note: The eccentricty of the orbit shown in the lower image is a highly exaggerated 0. Even so, at the current eccentricity of. Precession Changes in axial precession alter the dates of perihelion and aphelion, and therefore increase the seasonal contrast in one hemisphere and decrease the seasonal contrast in the other hemisphere.