2006-09-08 11:41:36 · 12 answers · asked by moonface 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Maybe because from our eyes the sun actually does raise and set?
2006-09-08 11:42:31 · answer #1 · answered by ĵōē¥ → đ 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Sun appears to rise and set because the Earth is rotating on its own axis, once a day. In addition to this, the Earth is revolving around the Sun, once a year.
2006-09-08 19:09:48 · answer #2 · answered by RG 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The appears that the sun rises and sets on our horizon.
The earth orbits the sun and the earth also rotates around it's axis (not the sun).
I would suggest you do some science reading.
2006-09-08 19:58:18 · answer #3 · answered by Keenu 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Goodness, let's get this straight:
The rising and setting of the sun is purely a result of the Earth turning on its axis every 24 hours.
It is the same as if you turn around in your living room the television comes in and out of your view. It is as simple as that.
Everything beyond the earth travels across the sky east to west - sun, moon and stars - exactly like everything in your room revolves around you when you turn around and around.
It has nothing to do with the Earth's orbital travel.
From the sun, if you could see the Earth easily, and you could see the continents, they would travel across the face of the Earth from west to east in 12 hours.
The sun revolves on its own axis in about 26 Earth days. So, in the course of about 13 Earth days, the Earth will travel across the sky, as seen from the sun.
You would need a telescope though. From 93 million miles away, the Earth would look just like a rather bright star, with no discernable disk size.
2006-09-08 20:39:09 · answer #4 · answered by nick s 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
everything is moving; the milky way galaxy moves; our sun, a minor star in a small corner of the milky way, moves; the earth and moon moves in ways you know about. The earth revolves around the sun while it spins on its axis and the axis tilts to create our seasons. If the earth merely revolved around the sun without spinning on its axis, there would be no alternating day and night; one side would be in perpetual daylight (and very hot), while the other side would be continuously dark (and very cold). Our expressions for describing these events are carryovers from pre-scientific understanding, and describe what happens in the cosmos from our earth-bound perspective.
Good question!
2006-09-08 19:28:03 · answer #5 · answered by ronw 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its an expression for day and the night, and we all know that the earth is rotating but nobody say to his friend I see you after the earth rotate, no they say tomorrow after the sun rise something like that.
2006-09-08 18:49:33 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The sun could be seen as moving around the earth.
No really, if we assume that the universe as a whole is moving around and the earth is staying at a fixed point in some greater dimentional construct.
Yeah.
Everything is relative to the observer.
2006-09-08 20:28:57 · answer #7 · answered by theoneandonlyhaz 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe because it appears that way from our perspective on earth. If we were able to sit on the sun then the perspective would be that the earth does revolve around the sun.
2006-09-08 18:49:22 · answer #8 · answered by Jagd 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
okay now, the sun disappears and reappears on the other side of the planet as to let the moon be seen on the other side of it, and so it goes on this way, as we, our planet does it's rotation around the sun and the moon does it's little dance around us. sord of like a do-si-do, okaydo...
2006-09-08 18:48:36 · answer #9 · answered by lee f 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because it SEEMS to rise and set and that is good enough for normal purposes.
2006-09-08 20:41:13 · answer #10 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋