What causes day and night on Earth?
Question 1 Report
What causes day and night on Earth?
Answer Details
Day and night are caused by the rotation of the Earth on its own axis. The Earth completes one full rotation approximately every 24 hours. At any moment, the half of the Earth facing the Sun is lit (daytime) while the half facing away is in shadow (night-time). As the Earth rotates, different parts of its surface move into and out of sunlight, producing the daily cycle of day and night.
The Earth's orbit around the Sun takes one year, not one day, so orbital motion does not explain the 24-hour day-night cycle. The Moon's orbit around the Earth is responsible for the phases of the Moon and for eclipses, but it plays no role in causing day and night. The tilt of the Earth's axis (23.5° from the vertical) explains why seasons occur and why day length varies throughout the year, but it is not the cause of the basic day-night alternation. Without any tilt at all, a rotating Earth would still have day and night; every location would simply experience exactly 12 hours of each.
Download The App On Google Playstore
Everything you need to excel in your exams
