Naked Science Forum

General Science => General Science => Topic started by: wei hern on 28/04/2008 08:18:22

Title: Why does the Sun appear to move?
Post by: wei hern on 28/04/2008 08:18:22: wei hern asked the Naked Scientists:
When father brought me to my grandmothers house this morning, I was sitting in his car wearing my sunglasses. I saw the sun moving. Why does it move?
What do you think?
Title: Why does the Sun appear to move?
Post by: rosalind dna on 28/04/2008 10:25:50: Hi wei hern,

As to your question about the sun moving, well it is not the sun that's moving but the earth is moving around the sun in fact but over 12 months that is why we have the different seasons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun
Title: Why does the Sun appear to move?
Post by: Kenwood04 on 28/04/2008 12:00:20: Well the sun does move, but I am not you can actually see it move.
Title: Why does the Sun appear to move?
Post by: rosalind dna on 28/04/2008 12:06:18: Quote from: Kenwood04 on 28/04/2008 12:00:20
Well the sun does move, but I am not you can actually see it move.

You may have been moving your head and the Sun is the star in this galaxy that we are part of.
Where there any trees at the place where you looking at the Sun from??
I am sure about this one. I was told it a long time ago.
Title: Why does the Sun appear to move?
Post by: Kenwood04 on 28/04/2008 12:46:05: Quote from: rosalind dna on 28/04/2008 12:06:18
Quote from: Kenwood04 on 28/04/2008 12:00:20
Well the sun does move, but I am not you can actually see it move.

You may have been moving your head and the Sun is the star in this galaxy that we are part of.
Where there any trees at the place where you looking at the Sun from??
I am sure about this one. I was told it a long time ago.

I missed out "sure" so the sentence would read "I am not sure you can actually see it move".

The sun however, does move, but not perhaps in the sense that was meant by the question posed in the first place.
Title: Why does the Sun appear to move?
Post by: rosalind dna on 28/04/2008 13:30:59: I know and that is what I meant and implied as well having also said that it's the galaxy's and earht's Satellite star.

Was it a partial Eclipse of the Sun and Moon?If so that's why
you'd have seen the sun moving because it's actually the movement of the moon as it goes round the earth daily changing the tides.
Title: Why does the Sun appear to move?
Post by: lyner on 29/04/2008 09:47:01: Forget about the Earth's orbit round the Sun. The main factor in its apparent motion is the fact that Earth ROTATES once a day. If you sit on a moving fairground roundabout, the world appears to be moving around you; same thing with the Sun. The motion is very slow but you can see it if you sit still for long enough and line the Sun up against some 'fixed' point.