What does the following sentence mean?
"Which would explain why summer seems to zip by, except the seasons are a function of the tilt of the Earth’s axis, not its different distances from the sun."
(It's a part of the report, the full text is here http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=another-ellipse-around-the-sun-12-01-02)

Question

What does the following sentence mean? 
"Which would explain why summer seems to zip by, except the seasons are a function of the tilt of the Earth’s axis, not its different distances from the sun."
(It's a part of the report, the full text is here http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=another-ellipse-around-the-sun-12-01-02)

Answer

И это объясняет, почему лето проходит. Времена года зависят от наклона земной оси, а не от её удаления от солнца.
Давай знакомиться :)

Answer

It's a joke. Most probably by an Englishman, where summers are very short. Or someone from Canada, maybe. 
As for distances from the sun, that is explained in the article, isn't it?

Answer

It would seem logical to think that summer happens because the Earth is closer to the sun (perihelion) during its elliptical orbit.  However, seasons are not caused by, or dependent upon, ("a function of") the Earth's distance from the sun: they are dependent upon the tilt of the Earth's axis.  Nevertheless, summer at the perihelion seems to pass by faster than other seasons because the Earth travels faster at the perihelion than at other points in its orbit (as Kepler deduced).  Happy New Year!  I hope you enjoyed your 584 million mile journey since this time last year :)

Answers · 6

Still haven’t found your answers?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!