The big idea
Every morning the Sun seems to rise. Every evening it seems to set. But the Sun is not really moving across our sky. The Earth is spinning. As it spins, your part of the world turns towards the Sun and then away from it. That gives us day and night.
Let's explore
Imagine a line going right through the Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole. This pretend line is called the axis. The Earth spins around its axis like a spinning top. One full spin is called a rotation. It takes about 24 hours, which is one day.
The Sun shines on the Earth all the time. But it can only light up one half at a time.
- The half facing the Sun has day.
- The half facing away from the Sun is in shadow. It has night.