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Patterns in Nature

Are there patterns in nature?

Goal:

Goal:

Remember, you learned that the seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth as it moves around the Sun. Each year has four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Then, they happen again. It’s a pattern. The pattern happens each year in the same order.

Click each picture to learn about patterns in nature.

earth position around the sun: Enter key opens full-screen view with caption; escape key exits full screen.
a graphic that shows Earth's position around the Sun during different seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter

Seasonal Patterns

Summer always comes after spring, and winter always comes after autumn. The things that happen during the seasons—like leaves falling off the trees in autumn—always happen at the same time of year. That’s a pattern!

a night sky filled with stars: Enter key opens full-screen view with caption; escape key exits full screen.
a night sky filled with stars

The Stars

What can you see in the sky at night, but not during the day? The stars! The stars are only visible at night when it is dark. This is a pattern too! The stars are always there, but during the day it is too bright outside to see the stars.

a full moon over the grasslands: Enter key opens full-screen view with caption; escape key exits full screen.
a full moon over the grasslands

The Moon

The Moon also follows a pattern. Look at the Moon when it is first visible. Then look at the Moon again later before bed. Did you notice anything? The Moon looks like it rises in the evening in one spot, moves across the sky, and then sets in a different spot. Is that a pattern? Yes!

In this lesson, you will learn about another pattern, the pattern of Moon phases.

Question 1

What other patterns in the seasons can you name?

There are lots of patterns in nature! There is day and night, the seasons, months of the year, and length of days during the year.

Question 2

What patterns can you observe about the Moon?

The Moon looks like it rises every night and sets every morning. The Moon looks like it moves across the sky.