Obliquity - The second orbital parameter that influences climate is the Obliquity of the Ecliptic. This fancy name refers to the "tilt" of the Earth's equatorial axis relative to the Earth- Sun plane (the ecliptic). This angle is currently around 23.5 degrees. Through time, however, the tilt angle rotates from a minimum of around 22.0 to a maximum of 25.0 degrees on a 41,000 year cycle. Tilt influences climate because it changes the distribution of sunlight between low and high latitudes. At high tilt angles, the poles get more sunlight than at low tilt angles. This influences the seasonal climate extremes as a function of latitude.