Has the sun always risen in the east and set in the west in the last few thousand years?

Question

Have the North and South Poles always been the same during that same described period as they now are, or have they reversed. If they reversed, would not the rising of the sun be immediately reversed in the sky? Would not that be the most logical explanation for the flash frozen mastadons found some years back in Northern Siberia. Is there any other scientific evidence to support such a happening? Is there any written recorded history that could support that happening? What could have precipitated such a happening?

This theory, the rising of the sun has changed from the eastern skys 2 the western skys was propagated by a very close personal friend of Albert Einstein, of world fame. The publishing of this theory along with a lot of other related issues that were viewed by this individual as 1 being the result of another in a happening of cataclysmic proportions, gave explanation to issues having long puzzled scientists & deep thinkers. His writings were ridiculed/ rejected by the scientific community who in many of the sciences felt there wasn't much they didn't know already, or feelings of that ilk. In time I will give this person's name & the titles of some of his writings. My point in pursuing this vein of thought & questioning is it might be an appropriate point in time 2 have his theories & supporting data reviewed & rethought. I don't care what type of hardest rock we talk about, billions of years of errosive effects can & should produce pronounced recognizable easing of jagged peaks.

evanderzsov, has the best answer so far, but I think he is still ultimately wrong. Here's something with which to experi- ment. Picture the sun in your mind at a certain spot relative to the earth's rotation. Make an assumption of some sort contrary to popular belief about that relationship.Then, set out to find a factor which could alter that position of popular belief. Consider the nature(s) of our solar system & what conclusions you can safely draw about it's state over eons of time. What is the relationship of your life cycle to time. Relative to com- prehending what you have observed in your life span, would you say that any of the sciences, let alone the study of interactions between those masses we observe above us, & their affect upon our planet is all knowing, or not. What about those flash frozen mastadons found in our lifetime in northern Siberia? Their meat was edible, & they had fresh vegetation within their mouths. Do we feel earth's spinning action hear on her surface?

Answer 1

The sun will always rise and set in the same manner regardless of the earth's polarity. Only the terminolgy would change.

Answer 2

Over the last few thousand years, yes, the sun has always risen and set it about the same direction on any given vantage point on the surface of the planet. There is one phenomena that can make an alteration to that called the "presession of the equinoxes", but this effect cycles every 25,700 years. Also, the precession would only change the angle of rotation by 23.4 degrees, not by a full 180 degrees required to see the sun rise in the west and set in the east.

This however assumes that you define the four cardinal directions based upon the rotation of the planet, which makes sense if you wish to consider the effect on climate, ice caps, etc.

If you define directions based upon the magnetic poles by using a compass, then yes at times the sun will rise from the "magnetic west" and set in the "magnetic east". This is due to an effect called geomagnetic reversal, which causes Earth's magnetic field to reverse at varied intervals. This effect is not very well understood, and it is believed that the last occurance, called the Brunhes-Matuyama reversal, happened about 780,000 years ago. But these events do not actually alter the orientation of Earth in relation to the sun, just the direction of the magnetic poles.

Answer 3

The sun does not rise and set per se, the Earth rotates counter-clockwise. Simply, the rotation direction or axis of spin has remained the same BUT the poles have flopped around and the Equator has become the pole axis.
In past epochs there have been ice caps at one or both of the geographical poles. The heat of the sun caused these ice caps to grow larger. As the sun heats the air of the hemisphere, the heated air expands, becomes lighter, and rises. The updrafts are greatest in the tropics. As the earth is virtually spherical, the currents of warm air converge at the poles. Meeting head-on from every direction, they create areas of air pressure, become colder and heavier, turn downward, reversing the direction of their flow, and pour back toward the Equator from the polar centers with high velocities. Thus, there is a continuous circulation of rising humid warm air journeying poleward and a down draft of cold dehumidified air returning from the poles at low or ground altitudes. Air acts like a sponge. When warm, it absorbs water; when cold, it cannot hold much water, and in cooling releases any surplus moisture to fall as rain or snow.

Most of the snow that falls in the polar regions does not melt; the air temperature is too low. Instead, the snow is stored, changing to glacial ice. As this process continues through time, the ice masses at the poles constantly grow in volume.

As the prehistoric ice caps grew larger, they tended to throw the rotating planet off balance because of the wobble of the earth, causing the earth to roll around sideways to its direction of rotation.

Answer 4

Responses without sources aren't answers, just opinions.

No. The Direction of rising and setting sun varies with latitude and time of year. However, the direction of rising and setting has remained fairly consistent from year to year. Detailed table at the first source.

The last reversal of the earth's magnetic poles is believed to have occurred about 780,000 years ago. More over the poles are not constant in either location or strength even without a pole reversal.

Answer 5

The MAGNETIC poles have shifted many times, but the GEOGRAPHIC pole has not. The Earth rotates around the geographic pole so the sunrise has not changed ever. The magnetic pole causes a magnetic compass to point to the magnetic north pole, which is in northern Canada and actually quite far from the true geographic, rotational pole. The Earth's magnetic field is somewhat related to the rotational, geographic pole, but not exactly and in a way that is not all that well understood.

Answer 6

The switching of poles is in reference to the earths magnetic field... a switch would reset magnetic north to the southern hemisphere, not actually flip the world over... the sun has always set in the west and risen in the east, and it will continue to do so for any forsee-able future, despite any fears of tidal braking (edited from breaking, thank you garypopkin for catching my typo)or what not...

The earth's magnetic feild is generated by the exterior of the planet rotating faster than the core. This in effect generates a elector magnetic field around the planet... as we continue to rotate the field winds up, like a twisted spring... eventually when it winds up too much, the tension releases, the spring resets and flips.. we can see evidence of this polarity flip in newly formed rocks located near spreading ridges on the ocean floor... over the course of millions of years the magnetic orientation of these rocks shows a change in where "magnetic north" lies... rocks formed during some periods of time are magnetically aligned north, rocks formed during other periods of time are magnetically aligned south... back and forth, back and forth in a fairly regular pattern.

Additionally, the earth's magnetic field acts as a sort of shield against the sun's radation...collecting in and drawing it to the poles... this is what we experience as the aurora borealis, or norhtern lights... when the field resets... we should not expect flash freezes of any sort... instead... bring your SPF 10k sunblock... you might need it!

Answer 7

No, the sun has risen in the east and set in the west for the last several billion years. The north and south poles have changed places several times over history.

And no, you bloody idiot, the reversing of the poles doesn't mean the earth orbits in reverse direction. Jeez mate, if you had another brain it'd be lonely.

Answer 8

Yes, the sun has risn in the east and set in the west for a few billion years. The rising and falling of the sun are related to the rotation of the earth about its axis, which has not changed in recent history (if at all).

Answer 9

Whoa, Thomas, not tidal BREAKING, suggesting that the tides will BREAK the earth (into pieces). Tidal BRAKING, suggesting that the tides act as a BRAKE, as on a truck, to slow down the rotation of the earth.

And we need not fear tidal braking. The slowing effect is so tiny that the earth will be swallowed up by a dying, expanding sun long before our days turn into months.

Otherwise, a very informative answer well worth 10 points.

Answer 10

as for the sun , it is always raising from the east and set at west , nothing to do about it and no doubt its happening for the last thousendsa and even milion of years

how ever, once in few 10's thousends of years , the Physical Valeu of north and south is changes, wich means , the south become magnetic Posotive charged and the soth Negative , and it still dont have Mathematical method that gives the exact time , for now we just know it happens

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