Day and Night
Day and night happen because Earth spins on its axis once every 24 hours, so each place faces the Sun and then turns away.
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Play with the controls to see the idea in action.
📘 Learn
Day and night happen because Earth spins on its axis once every 24 hours, so each place faces the Sun and then turns away.
- Earth rotates from west to east
- The Sun appears to rise in the east
- At the poles, daylight can last for months
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is Day and Night?
Within Geography, which covers maps, landforms, weather, climate, population and settlements: understand how our planet and people connect, this topic explains Day and Night. Geography explains how places, people and natural processes connect, so each topic here combines a clear definition with a visual model.
Check that you can explain Day and Night in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding Day and Night helps you explain patterns on maps and in the news, and make reasoned decisions about places and environments.
Day and Night in detail
Day and night are caused by the Earth's rotation on its axis once every 24 hours, so a place turns toward the Sun (day) and then away from it (night). The Earth rotates from west to east, so the Sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west.
Length of day varies with latitude and season. Near the poles, there are weeks of continuous daylight in summer and darkness in winter. The Moon appears to go through phases because we see different amounts of its lit half as it orbits the Earth. Rotation also causes the Coriolis effect and underlies time zones.
How the interactive helps you understand Day and Night
Watch the Earth model in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the Earth model responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Day and Night.
Real-life uses and examples
- Explain how Day and Night affects people, jobs and land use in a region.
- Support an answer about Day and Night with a named case study and specific evidence.
- Interpret a graph or map that shows Day and Night and say what it suggests.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Mixing up cause, effect and consequence when you explain Day and Night.
- Writing general statements without a named place or example.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about Day and Night
What is Day and Night?
Day and night happen because Earth spins on its axis once every 24 hours, so each place faces the Sun and then turns away.
What are the most important points about Day and Night?
The main points are: Earth rotates from west to east; The Sun appears to rise in the east; At the poles, daylight can last for months.
Why is Day and Night useful?
Understanding Day and Night helps you explain patterns on maps and in the news, and make reasoned decisions about places and environments.
How can I practise Day and Night?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to Day and Night?
Related topics in Geography include Africa: Physical and Human Geography, North America: Physical and Human Geography, The United Kingdom.