Day and Night: Our Spinning Earth
Lumi floats beside a slowly spinning blue-and-green Earth globe, shining a bright yellow flashlight Sun onto one curved side while the other side rests in soft shadow.
- Explain that Earth spins once on its axis about every 24 hours.
- Describe how the spinning Earth, not a moving Sun, causes day and night.
- Identify that the side of Earth facing the Sun has day and the side facing away has night.
- Predict whether a location on Earth is at sunrise, noon, sunset, or night based on its position relative to the Sun.
Key terms
- Axis
- The invisible line Earth spins around.
- Rotation
- The spinning of Earth around once.
- Day
- The bright side facing the Sun.
- Night
- The dark side turned away from the Sun.
Earth Is Spinning
Earth is like a big ball that turns around and around in space. It spins all the way around one time about every 24 hours. That is one whole day. The line it spins around is called the axis, like the stick in a spinning top. Earth never stops turning, even while you sleep.
Light Side And Dark Side
The Sun can only shine on one side of a ball at a time. The side of Earth facing the Sun is sunny, so it has day. The side turned away is in shadow, so it has night. As Earth spins, your town moves into the light and then back out, again and again, every single day.
Worked examples
It is morning in your town. What is happening?
- Earth is spinning your town toward the Sun.
- Your town is just turning into the sunlight.
Answer: Your town is having sunrise as it turns to face the Sun.
Activity
Drag these four picture cards into the order they happen as a town spins around toward and past the Sun
Practice
Tell what makes day turn into night on Earth.
Name the invisible line that Earth spins around.
Common mistakes to avoid
- The Sun flies around EarthEarth spins on its axis, so the Sun only seems to move.
Check your understanding
What actually causes day and night on Earth?
Why does the Sun seem to move across the sky during the day?
On the side of Earth that is facing the Sun, what time of day is it?
Look at this globe: Town A is on the edge just starting to turn toward the Sun, and Town B is on the back fully away from the Sun. What is happening at each town?
Recap
Earth spins around its axis one time about every 24 hours. The side facing the Sun has day, and the side turned away has night.
Reflect
When is it night on the other side of Earth?