A Little More on Summer

Summer is the warmest of the four traditional seasons, falling between spring and autumn. It's often associated with bright sunshine, long days, holidays, swimming, beach trips and evenings spent outdoors. Of course, summer means something different to everyone: a trip away, a lazy afternoon in the garden, or simply enjoying a little more daylight.

The seasons occur because Earth's axis is tilted as it travels around the Sun. Each hemisphere experiences summer when it is tilted towards the Sun, giving it longer days and more direct sunlight.

In the Northern Hemisphere, meteorological summer covers June, July and August. In the Southern Hemisphere, including most of Australia, it falls in December, January and February. Astronomical summer begins around the summer solstice and ends around the autumn equinox, so its dates are slightly different.

Not every place has the same sort of summer. Some regions are dry and sunny, others warm and rainy, while tropical areas may be described in terms of wet and dry seasons instead.