Last updated on June 11th, 2024 at 06:44 pm
Let’s talk about something that you and I know very well: day and night. We all know what day is, and we all know what night is. But, have you ever thought about how the day and the night came to be? What about why there is always daylight after dawn and sunset, but still darkness in the middle of the day? How do these things work?
What is the difference between day and night?
What is the difference between day and night? The day starts at sunrise and ends when the sun sets. For people living in temperate climates, the day typically lasts around 12 hours. In this time, we experience a fairly consistent amount of light throughout the day. There are variations depending on where you live, but for most places with an average annual temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, there should be around 8 hours of daylight on a clear day, with 6 hours of darkness during the night.
How does day and night affect the earth?
The earth revolves around the sun, with 365 days/5.8 years in a solar year and 24 hours in a day. At any given time, there are 180 degrees of daylight and 360 degrees of night time. The earth rotates once on its axis every 23 hours and 56 minutes which is the equivalent of one full day for each side of the planet. The earth’s day and night are around 24 hours long.
The length of a day varies based on the tilt of the earth and it changes with the seasons as well. The shortest day is around 6 hours and 40 minutes long, while the longest is around 4 days. That means that we spend 2/3 of our time in sunlight.
Day vs. Night: What changes with time?
When an animal has a short day-night cycle, it is said that the animal experiences a kind of natural jet lag. When an animal has a long day-night cycle, it is said that the animal experiences seasonal affective disorder (SAD). One thing that does not change with time is Earth’s rotation. We all know that night always follows day, but what about the rest of the natural changes in nature? For example, birds return from their flights at dusk and bats set out at dawn.
How do people celebrate a new day and how long is a cycle of a year?
Scientists have found that the calendar is made up of 365 days and a year has an average cycle of 365.25 days. The year is 365 days in length and is divided into four seasons. On the winter solstice, there are 12 hours of sunlight. The longest day has a duration of 16 hours. The shortest day ends in darkness at 3:00 PM EST on December 21st.
The day and night cycles have been happening without interruption for millions of years. If we look at a year as 365.25 days, every night is equivalent to 12 of those days. When the sun sets, it is time to rest while the day begins and it will happen at the same time every morning.
ALSO READ: Fun Facts about William Shakespeare
On December 24th, we celebrate the beginning of a new year called ‘The First Day of the New Millennium’. It’s on these days that we wake up in the morning and start counting down to midnight. In China, they celebrate ‘New Year’s Eve,’ from midnight to 1:00am. They try not to look at their clocks until then because it would be bad luck.
Conclusion
You might have heard the saying, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Nowadays, this saying is more applicable than ever before. The day time is filled with productivity and the night time is where people unwind after a long tiring day. Here are some fun facts about the day and night that you might not know!