By what mechanism does the sun rise and set?

Answer 1

It is because the earth rotates on its axis. In ancienct times philosophers believed the sun revolved around the earth but that was wrong. The earth actually rotates and so when it is rotating, about only 1/2 of the planet is facing the sun. The earth tilts on its axis and this makes summer and winter. When the northern side of the planet tilts towords the sun, then the days in the north are longer, and the night is shorter. Things are weird at the north and south pole; they have night for several months at a time, and daylight for several months at a time, depending on the earth's position in its orbit. Imagine what it would be like to have the sun in the sky for months without setting!

Answer 2

According to current theory, the sun doesn't *actually* move. Rather the earth's rotation (at approximately 24 hours per revolution) make the sun appear to "rise" & "set" as your position on the earth, turns in relation on the sun!!!!! IT'S ACTUALLY TRUE I GOT IT FROM A SCIENTIST.

Answer 3

The sun appears to rise and set due to Earth's rotation on its axis. As the Earth rotates, different parts of the planet are exposed to sunlight while others are in darkness, creating the illusion of the sun moving across the sky.

Answer 4

The Earth is spinning on its axis, tilted at 23.5 degrees. ---- It takes the Earth 24 hours to spin one complete revolution on its axis. As the earth spins, its exposure to the sun changes and a different part of the earth faces the sun. As an exiample: when it's day time in the USA, it is night time in Africa; when it's day time in Europs, it is night time in Australia.

Answer 5

The rotation of the earth. For about half the time, the earth rotates you away from the moon, so that you can't see it. During that time, in order to look in the direction of the moon, you would have to look down into the ground.

Answer 6

The Sun is NOT rising and setting. The Sun is in the center of the solar system, and all of the moving is being done by the various planets and moons.

The Sun _appears_ to rise and set, because the Earth itself is spinning like a carousel. Because the entire Earth spins as a single (more or less!) solid sphere, everything ON the Earth, including the people, buildings, birds and atmosphere spin with it.

Answer 7

Um well we rotate around the sun and rotate on an axis at the same time, so the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.. no offence,but um i think my 6 year old brother knows the answer to that

Answer 8

The rotation of the Earth. As our planet turns, it appears that the sun rises and sets, but it's actually our planet Earth that is slowly moving clock-wise (Earth moves on it's axis from west towards the east), one full rotation every 24 hours.

Answer 9

The earth is a rotating sphere. When an observer from anywhere on the surface of the Earth goes from the side in shadow to the illuminated side, the Sun appears to rise, and when the Earth has turned so much that the observer's position goes from the illuminated side into shadow, the Sun appears to set.

Answer 10

The Sun stays in place for the most part. What does move is the Earth, which makes the sun seem like it moves from the east to the west every day and night. The Earth rotates on its axis (the poles), so that is why we have days and nights and even seasons and years and winds and... probably other phenomena that I cant explain here. Example, take a lit lamp without the lampshade in a dark room = represents the sun.

Then get a ball, like a pea (smaller size - more accurate representation of sun to earth diameter ratio) or Baseball, then walk around the bulb with the ball in hand. Now rotate the 'Earth' ball while you rotate around the bulb. That is a rough model of the orbit of the earth around the sun. you'll notice that any one spot on the ball experiences cycles of sun light [day] (bulb light) and darkness (night).

hope that helps