Day and night happen because Earth rotates, or spins. Follow one marked place on the globe. As it turns toward sunlight, day begins there. Later, it turns away into night.
Space · Discover & try
What causes day and night?
Reading level 2 of 5 · DevelopingChange
Word help
Rotation
Spinning around an axis.
Axis
An imaginary line through the poles around which Earth turns.
Orbit
A path around another body.
Watch · Try · Explain
See how it works
The interactive activity is loading.
A simplified rotating-Earth model. Globe markings and sizes are illustrative; no local sunrise times are predicted.
What to look for
- Follow one marked place, rather than the whole globe.
- Compare the lit and unlit sides.
- Distinguish a daily turn from a yearly orbit.
Explain what you noticed
What mainly causes the everyday change between day and night?
Keep this idea: Earth’s rotation carries places into and out of sunlight.
Follow the sources
Source material checked 2026-10-28. Explanations and activities by Nepedia. Agency source links do not imply endorsement.
Keep following the idea
Next discovery →