(WHTM) — No, it’s not just because daylight savings time happens during the springtime.

We do gain about one minute of daylight every day during the month of March. And the longer days mean warmer temperatures are coming!

But, why does this happen?

It happens because of the Earth’s tilt. The axis of the Earth is not oriented vertically but it is tilted at a 23.5-degree angle. Because of this tilt, and due to the Earth revolving around the sun, this causes seasonal changes. If the axis was not tilted, the year-round climate would be rather boring and many places on Earth wouldn’t receive much light.

Seasons are caused by the fact that the Earth is tilted on its axis by 23.5° (Photo: National Weather Service)

The earth is also divided into two hemispheres: Northern and Southern. The United States, Europe, and Asia are all a part of the Northern Hemisphere. South America and Australia are a part of the southern hemisphere.

The National Weather Service states that the tilt’s orientation with respect to space does not change during the year The Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun in June and away from the sun in December,

Summer occurs when the respective hemisphere is pointed closer to the sun. In the Northern Hemisphere, this occurs between the middle of June and the middle of September. In the Southern Hemisphere, summer occurs between the middle of December and the middle of March.

Because of the rotation of the Earth, we get the 24-hour day cycle. Because the sun is covering a wider area of the hemisphere during their respective summers, the days are longer.

Some people believe that the Earth is closer to the Sun in the summer and further away in the winter. It’s actually somewhat closer to the sun in the winter, but the angled rays and short days don’t give us much heat.

By the end of March, our sunset will be around 7:30 p.m. Thanks in part to the Earth, and daylight savings time!