Day and night
The turning Earth brings the Sun into view.
Day here, night there
When it is day in India, it is night in some other places.
Why do you think this happens?
What this lesson covers
The idea
The Earth's rotation from West to East causes the day-night cycle: the half facing the Sun has day and the other half night; sunrise occurs as a place moves into light and sunset as it moves into darkness.
Day here, night there
When it is day in India, it is night in some other places.
Why do you think this happens?
- Half of the Earth faces the Sun
- The Sun switches off
- The Moon covers half the Earth
A day, from midnight to midnight
The Sun is on the left. Slide the time and watch the orange pin. The model is simple: day and night are equal.
Into the light and out of it
The side facing the Sun is lit. As the Earth turns, the pin moves into the light at sunrise and out of it at sunset.
The Earth’s rotation from West to East causes the day-night cycle: the half facing the Sun has day and the other half night; sunrise occurs as a place moves into light and sunset as it moves into darkness.
Notes
The Earth’s rotation from West to East causes the day-night cycle: the half facing the Sun has day and the other half night; sunrise occurs as a place moves into light and sunset as it moves into darkness.
Check yourself
What causes day and night on the Earth?
Sunrise happens when a place …
The half of the Earth that faces the Sun has …
Sunset happens when a place …
- The Moon blocking the Sun every day. The Moon blocks the Sun only at an eclipse, not every day.
- The rotation of the Earth — correct. Yes! The turning brings each place into light and then into darkness.
- The Sun going round the Earth. The Sun does not go round the Earth. It only seems to move because the Earth turns.
- moves into the darkness. That is sunset, not sunrise.
- moves nearer to the Moon. The Moon has nothing to do with sunrise. A place moves into the sunlit half.
- moves into the light — correct. Yes! The Earth’s turning brings the place into the sunlit half.
- day — correct. Yes! It is lit by the Sun.
- an eclipse. An eclipse is a different event. The half facing the Sun simply has day.
- night. The half facing the Sun is lit.
- stops turning. The Earth never stops. Sunset happens because the place keeps turning.
- moves out of the light, into the darkness — correct. Yes! The place turns away from the Sun.
- moves into the light. That is sunrise.