Milankovitch cycle

What does Milankovitch’s theory of astronomical climate forcing state?

cyclical variations in Earth's orbit around the Sun are the primary drivers of long-term climate change, particularly ice ages

Eccentricity

The Earth’s orbit changes from circular to elliptical every 100,000 years. This changes the distance between the Earth and the sun.

During different orbital shapes the Earth will be at a different distance from the sun. Therefore the amount of solar radiation received varies.

Obliquity

The Earth’s tilt changes between 21.8 degrees and 24.4 degrees every 41000 years.

The greater the tilt angle the more extreme the summers and winters

Precession

The direction in which the axis tilts changes.

This doesn’t affect how much sun the Earth receives overall but affects the solar radiation distribution.