Why does the Earth have a tilt?

Question

Since the northern and southern hemispheres have opposite seasons, the tilt must be pointing somewhere, right? As in the north pole is slightly directed to something far away at all times? Or maybe the south pole?

Answer 1

Without its tilt we will not have four seasons.

Answer 2

It's a tilt and a wobble - when our hemisphere wobbles closer to the sun it's summer.  Who knows why this is - perhaps because billions of years back we got hit by what's now the moon.  Whatever, it's one unbelievable story.  

It could be that the Earth doesn't really exist - it's all our imaginations!!

Answer 3

'Cause some of us weigh too much?LOL! Try checking with Wikipedia.

Answer 4

The tilt of the earth at 23.45° is a result of collisions with large bodies during the formation of the planets in the solar system. The size of the bodies and the angle of collision determined the tilt and the rotation of the planets. Each planet has a different tilt with respect to the planet's plane of the ecliptic.

Answer 5

The tilt was a legacy of planet formation, along with the wobble called 'precession'.

The axis of rotation is ponted towards a point in space in the direction of 'pole star' presently. So is the south pole at a point in the constellation of 'Octans'.

When the tilt (northern side of axis) is towards sun it is summer. Then in its orbit Earth moves away and the tilt (north) points away from the sun bringing winter to the northeren hemisphere from where the sun appears shifted to the south. Then the southern part of the axis looks directly to the sun bringing summer to the southern hemisphere.

You can do a simple experiment. In a dark room put a globe on one end of a table. Place a candle at the center of table to play the role of sun. Without altering the direction of the tilt (pointing to the same spot on the ceiling) take the globe to the other side of the table. In both positions observe which parts of the globe (countries) are facing the candle (sun)directly and obloquely. In between you'll notice th line of axis perpendicular to globe-candle (Earth-Sun) line, which are the positions at Spring & Autumn equinoxes. If you can, do this experiment in the mind (such an experiment is called Gedankin's experiment).