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The Sun in the sky

Space and time · level 1, lesson 1 of 6

A question to start

Where is the Sun when you wake up? Where is it at lunchtime? Where is it when you go to bed in summer?

The idea

The Sun seems to move across the sky every day.

  • In the morning it comes up, or rises, on one side of the sky: the east.
  • At midday it is at its highest.
  • In the evening it goes down, or sets, on the other side: the west.

Then it is night, until the Sun rises in the east again.

Never look straight at the Sun. It is so bright it can hurt your eyes, even for a moment.

east: sunrisemiddaywest: sunset

Worked examples

1. Morning. The Sun is low in the east, so the eastern windows of a house get the morning sunshine.

2. Lunchtime. The Sun is at its highest in the sky.

3. Evening. The Sun is low in the west, so a sunset is seen in the western sky.

Try it

  1. On which side of the sky does the Sun rise?
  2. When is the Sun highest?
  3. On which side does it set?
  4. Why must you never look straight at the Sun?
Answers
  1. The east.
  2. At midday.
  3. The west.
  4. It is so bright it can hurt your eyes.

Common mistake

"The Sun goes round the Earth." It looks that way, but the Sun stays put. The next lesson shows what really moves.

Where it leads