Why does the sun rise in the east and set in the west?

+92 votes
asked May 7, 2018 in Science by Danni (710 points)
edited Mar 2, 2019
This piece is for Astronomical purposes, and because of my curiosity, and the fact that books and eBooks make use of so many words to talk about what should be explained with a sentence or at most a paragraph. Can you help me with the answer please? Thanks a lot!

3 Answers

+25 votes
answered Sep 9, 2018 by kemberly (890 points)
edited Jan 19, 2019

In short, it is the earth that rotates and not the sun. The earth rotates from west to east, and then people standing on earth will see the sun rotates from east to west.

The position of the sun in our solar system is at the center. It neither rises nor sets. But because of the rotation of the earth around its axis, it seems to be rotating. Every 24 hours, the earth makes one complete turn. It faces the east. As the earth revolves, different points on the earth's surface pass through the sunlight. There is an animation on what this looks like every hour for about four hours. As your region turns facing the sun, as it enters the sun's light, it appears the sun rises in the east. When your region starts leaving the sun's light and enters darkness, it seems the sun sets in the west.

                

Watch the video animation here: 

+3 votes
answered Sep 5, 2018 by sam (1,040 points)
edited Apr 18, 2019
The moon, the sun, the star, and all the planets are all known to rise in the east and set in the west. And this is due to the earth's spins-facing the east. Let us ignore the orbiting of the earth around the sun for a moment, just focus your mind on one motion alone - the rotation of the earth or spin along its axis. The earth spins or rotates towards the east. This is the sole reason why the moon, the sun, the stars, and all the planets, begin their journey in the sky from the east and move towards the west. Let's suppose you are facing the east-the planet will carry you towards the east as it rotates, and this brings up whatever lies beyond the eastern horizon to where you can see them.
0 votes
answered Dec 23, 2018 by Latanya (770 points)
edited Jan 20, 2019
Why does the sun rise in the east and set in the west? This is because the rotation of the earth is from the west to the east, and we stand on that surface of that spinning earth.

The moon, the sun, and the stars never move, but we do.
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