In ancient times it was believed that the sun is revolving around the earth. As children we often feel that the sun is a golden ball that starts moving from the east sky in the morning and comes direct above our head at the noon and then sinks in the west sky or falls asleep. There are so many children stories and lore regarding the movements of the sun that our heart would like to believe them as the truth. The truth, however, is that the sun does not rise in the east or set in the west. It is a visual illusion that we all experience.
The earth has two different movements. It is continuously rotating around its own axis. To complete one rotation around its axis, the earth takes 24 hours. The phenomenon of rising and setting sun occurs because we cannot feel the fast movement of the earth, so we feel that the earth is standing still. Due to the rotational movement of the earth all parts of it do not come in front of the sun at once. The part which comes in front of the sun receives sun light and warmth and it is day in that portion. The opposite half of the earth that does not receive sunlight and warmth during this time is dark and it is night there.
The earth is rotating from the west towards the east and that is why sun light is first received in the eastern countries and then the western countries. It is the rotational movement of the earth that causes day and night. The time of the eastern countries are advanced than the western countries. Japan is named the Land of the Rising Sun because every 24 hours sun light touches its soil first.
