True or False? If the Earth's axis of rotation were perpendicular to Earth's orbital plane (i. e., if Earth's axis weren't tilted), there would be no major seasonal variations at a given location on Earth throughout the year. (The Cosmos, 4th edition, question 24, p. 92.)

Answer: True

Explanation: The fact that the Earth's axis is tilted by approximately 23.5 degrees is the reason for the seasons to exist. This means that if one of the Poles of the Earth is, for example, the North Pole, tilted toward the Sun, then the northern hemisphere is summer, and vice versa. Of course, because there are more hours of sunshine in a certain hemisphere at certain times of the year, and then it's summer. In the hemisphere that is not tilted towards the sun at certain times of the year, there are fewer hours of sunshine and there is winter. In addition, there are transitional seasons, spring and autumn, which depend on the specific position of the Earth towards the Sun and the specific place on Earth, for example, not every place on Earth has spring and autumn.