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View Full Version : Why should the sun always rise from the east?


agong
Nov 25, 2010, 08:28 AM
Would it happen the sun will rise from the south or north one day?

ScottGem
Nov 25, 2010, 09:10 AM
You do understand the sun doesn't actually move. The effect of the sun rising and falling occurs because the earth rotates one full rotation every 24 (approx) hours. As the earth rotates, a different portion of the earth faces the sun. Giving the effect of the sun rising and falling as where you live turns towards then away from the sun.

The earth rotates towards the east which is why the sun appears to rise from the east. The earth rotates on its axis. The axis is an imaginary line that runs from the north to the south pole. The axis is slight titled. Because of this tilt the poles actually don't have the rising and falling effect. They get 6 months of sun and 6 months of night.

For the sun to rise from the north or south would mean the axis changed. This would have catastrophic effect on the earth as the poles would melt, the new poles would freeze and life on earth would undergo extreme changes.

Of course all this is covered in elementary school science.

ebaines
Nov 30, 2010, 03:18 PM
It would take some sort of immense external force to cause the earth's axis to tilt by such a large amount. Maybe if the earth was hit by an asteroid the size of Mars that would do it. But if that happened - the direction of the sun's rising would be the least of anyone's worries!