Year 6

What causes day and night?

1. The rotation of the Earth around its own axis

causes day and night.

2. It takes 24 hours to complete one rotation.
3. However, sunlight shines only on the half of the

Earth facing the Sun. That half has day the
other half is dark and has a night.

Theme 3 Cycles
Unit 1: Cycles in the Solar system

The Earth and The Sun

Does the Earth move?

• The sky seems to be constantly moving but did you know it’s actually

us who move

Earth’s ROTATION

❖The Earth spins around the axis

❖This movement gives us day time and night time

❖It takes 24 hours to make a full rotation

❖The alternation of day and night occurs due to the Earth’s rotation about the axis. As the Earth

rotates, different parts of the Earth are facing towards the sun. These parts of the Earth experience
daytime.

❖The Earth’s shadow causes the parts of the earth facing away from the Sun to experience night time.

The Earth rotates in an anti-clockwise direction, this causes the Sun to rise in the east and set in the
west

❖ Read Pg 30-31 Star Science Textbook

❖Please Watch the video

https://youtu.be/MtRzy2TJAOQ
https://youtu.be/EXasopxAFoM

Axis

https://youtu.be/MtRzy2TJAOQ