Ask anything.
Why do day and night happen?
Day and night happen because the Earth spins around.
The Earth spins round and round on its axis, just like a spinning top. One spin takes about 24 hours. The side facing the Sun is bright — that's daytime there. The side facing away is dark — that's night there.
As the Earth keeps spinning, the place that had daytime slowly turns into night. While you sleep, your part of the Earth turns away from the Sun. When you wake up in the morning, your part has turned back to face the Sun again.
The Sun never actually moves — it stays in the same place and shines its light. It's the Earth that moves. That's why we see the Sun rise in the east and set in the west, but really, it's our planet that is spinning.
Quick facts
- The Earth spins around once about every 24 hours.
- The side facing the Sun has daytime, and the side facing away has night.
- The Sun does not move — it is the Earth that spins.
- The Moon does not make its own light — it reflects the Sun's light.
- The Earth's axis is tilted a little.
Check what you remember
3 questions — all of them come from the quick facts above. There is no score and no wrong turn.
1. Why do day and night happen?
2. How long does it take the Earth to spin around once?
3. Why does the Moon shine at night?
Where this comes from
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1 nasa.gov 80/100NASA Homepage
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