Northern Hemisphere winters are colder than Northern Hemisphere summers because?

Question

1. Earth is closer to the sun during the summer than it is during the winter.

2. the snow that falls in the northern latitudes cools Earth

during the winter.

3. the light from the sun shines more directly on the Northern Hemisphere during the summer.

Answer 1

3. is the correct answer.  Take a flashlight and point it at a spot on the wall on a right angle.  The area now is receiving the most direct light.  Angle the light more and more, and that same area receives less and less of the total light.  The same is true of Earth.  The tilt of the axis causes us to receive less light when it's pointed away from the sun, then when it's pointed toward the sun.

2. makes very little sense.  The snow reflects light and heat away, but that's not why the earth is cooler in the winter.

1. is surprising.  The earth is actually closer in the winter for the north, and farther away in the summer.  However, this has no bearing on the four seasons, it's just an interesting fact.

Answer 2

The day/night ratio is about two to one in favor of warm summer cold winter. On the pole the sun shnes 24/7 during the summer for a short time and never shines in the winter. The sun is ~70 watts brighter in the winter than in the summer because the sun is nearer in the winter  but the days are short and the nights are long so less energy gets to the north in the winter.

Answer 3

its because winter is colder than summer