Q1.
Now imagine that you are standing on the Equator on the Earth and watching the sky during one rotation of the Earth while it rotates from West to East. What will you observe? Will your observation be the same as that of the girl shown in Fig. 12.6?
Answer
Yes — you would observe exactly what the girl in Fig. 12.6 observes. Standing on the equator facing North, your right hand points East and your left hand points West, and the Sun runs from right to left across the sky.
| Time of day | What you see (facing North on the equator) |
|---|---|
| Morning | The Sun appears low down on your right-hand side, in the East. |
| Around noon | You have been carried to a new position; the Sun is now overhead. |
| Evening | You have turned further; the Sun disappears to your left, in the West. |
| Night | You are on the dark half; the stars become visible in the sky. |
Why it happens: nothing about the Sun changed during those hours. What changed is the direction in which you were pointing, because the Earth carried you eastward through about half a turn. The Sun's apparent journey from East to West is simply the record of your own journey from West to East.
Tip: stand outdoors facing North (use the Pole Star at night, or a compass). East is on your right and West on your left — this simple check makes Fig. 12.6 easy to read.