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why do we say...........

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col craddock | 21:41 Mon 12th May 2008 | ChatterBank
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the sun rises in the east and the sun sets in the west.
in fact the sun doesnt move ..we do
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depends where you live. at my house it comes up at the front and falls of the earth at the back
The ancient confusion of heliocentrism and geocenticim.

An observer, tied to the surface of planet Earth, seeing the sun rising in the morning, travelling through the sky all day, going down in the evening and disappear at dusk, until it rises again at dawn, could come to the conclusion that the sun revolves around planet Earth, if this observer believes that planet Earth is a fixed point in the Universe (geocentric).

The same observer, also tied to the surface of planet Earth, sees the sun rising, but believes that it is planet Earth that revolves around the sun, as propagated in the heliocentric model, can explain this too. This observer might come to the conclusion that between moments he sees the sun rise, go down and rise again, planet Earth makes a complete revolution around the sun. We know this isn't true, as planet Earth revolves around its own axis, resulting in the day-night cycle of the sun rising.
With some espectation that your question is at least semi-serious, the answer, of course is historical in nature. Before man was able to determine that the solar system is heliocentric and not geocentric, every observation he made intuitevly indicated the sun did rise and set. It's only within the last millenia or so that we have confirmed that. As early as about 300 BC, Aristarchus surmised as such, but was quickly dismissed as eccentric by his peers. His schollarly work was resurrected, so to speak, by Copernicus et al and, from about that era forward we've better understood the actual workings...
Well, that's strange, Octavius... your post wasn't there when I posted... good to see I'm in great company though...
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very interesting octavius but we have known for a number of centuries that the earth revolves around the sun not the other way round and yet we still say for example the sun is setting in the west when we know this is not so.. The answer is quite simply ...that is what appears to happen therefore that is what happens or so we believe...........
Yes.

Every 24 hours, Earth completes one rotation. With each rotation, most locations on Earth alternately experience day and night. Because Earth is spherical, about half the planet is illuminated by the Sun at any given time. The portion of Earth facing toward the Sun experiences daytime, while the portion facing away from the Sun experiences nighttime. As a location rotates into sunlight, observers from that location see the Sun appear to rise in the east. Similarly, as a location rotates into darkness, observers see the Sun appear to set in the west.

Important to remember that it takes a year to revolve around the sun. It is when it revolves around its own axis that we see the sun rise and set.
Excuse me col, this is far too clever for Chatterbank. I insist it be moved to Phrases & Sayings!!!!! (lol)

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