In order for the Suns energy to reach the surface of our planet and generate warmth, it needs to travel through the Earths atmosphere. The part of the Earth directly facing the Sun receives the most energy, because the Suns rays have less atmosphere to penetrate.
As light travels to the furthest perimeters of the Earth, the angle of the planets surface in relation to the Sun requires these rays to pass through far more of the Earths atmosphere, and thus much of the Energy if deflected away.
The light reaching the Earth is also far more concentrated at the point directly facing the Sun, and at the angled perimeter this energy is diluted over a larger area, as the illustration below demonstrates.
The 23.5 degree tilt, means that over the course of a year, as the Earth travels around the Sun, different parts of the Earth receive more direct exposure to the Suns rays than others, according with its orbital position and time of the year.
Click here for an animated example of how this works.
If it were not for this 23.5 degree tilt of the earth, the climate would remain the same all year round. Therefore, is it not possible, that before the KT Boundary event, the Earth remained steady on its axis, with an unchanging climate. Then something dramatic happened, forcing the Earth to tilt on its axis, and in turn give birth to the four seasons. These seasonal changes then lead to the extinction of the large cold blooded Dinosaurs.
You could of course argue at this point that the Earths tilt was caused by a huge asteroid smashing into the Earth, knocking it out of line, or that a huge volcanic explosion forced the Earth over on its side. But there is still the annoying point of why only large Dinosaurs were affected not smaller ones. So is there another explanation that explains things more clearly?
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