A complete day is marked when the earth revolves around the axis. This complete day is further divided into two phases namely day and night.
These phases together complete a cycle of 24 hours. Also, the day and night depending on the horizon of the sun. The day and night cycle is dependent on one complete rotation on its axis.
Key Takeaways
- The day is when the sun is above the horizon, providing natural light and warmth.
- The night is the period of darkness when the sun is below the horizon, marked by cooler temperatures and reduced visibility.
- The alternation between day and night results from Earth’s rotation on its axis, creating a continuous cycle of light and darkness.
Day vs Night
Daytime is the time when the Sun is above the horizon and provides light to the Earth. During the daytime, everywhere is bright with warm temperatures. Nighttime is the time when the Sun is below the horizon and the Earth is in shadow. During nighttime, everywhere is dark with cooler temperatures.
The day is marked when the sunlight directly falls on the surface of the earth. The day is described as the period between sunrise and sunset.
The area of the earth which accepts the sunlight observed the day. The sun is the main source of light. Night can be described as the time in which sunlight is absent.
The night is marked as the period between sunset and sunrise. In the night, the sun lies below the horizon. However, the duration of the night is dependent on the latitude and longitude.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Day | Night |
|---|---|---|
| Duration (in summer) | As the sunset is late, hence the time duration of the day is more as compared to the night. | The duration of the night is lesser as compared to the day. |
| Light Presence | During the daytime, a huge amount of light is present. | During the night, darkness is present all over. |
| Sun’s Location | The sun is situated above the horizon | The sun is situated below the horizon |
| Light source | In the daytime, the source of light is the sun. | At night, the source of light is the moon. |
| Activity | In the daytime, the organisms present on the earth’s surface are after such as plants and animals. | At night time, the organisms of the earth are inactive and feel sleepy. |
What is Day?
According to astronomical science and physics, the day is defined as the period when the sunlight directly falls on the surface of the earth.
The day is also termed as the time from sunrise to sunset. As we know that the complete day is marked by one complete rotation of the earth on its axis.
This duration for the earth is 24 hours. While talking about the other planets, every planet has a different duration of time for rotation. This makes the day duration different for different planets.
For example, the day of Mars is commonly known as Mars Sol. When seen by an observer standing on Mars, Sol is a possible duration between two consecutive returns of the Sun to the same meridian.
Also, the solar day can be marked as the time duration taken by the sun to return to its highest point in the sky.
Since one must know that space orbits are not exactly circular in the shape and hence the bodies attain different speeds at different points of the orbit.
The solar day may differ in duration throughout the year. Also, the earth revolves in an eccentric orbit and has an inclined axis, hence the solar day may extend up to 7.9 seconds over the fixed duration of 24 hours.
What is Night?
The term night may be defined as the period of complete darkness 24 hours a day. In this condition, the sun lies below the horizon. The night may be marked as the time duration from sunset to sunrise.
However, we can not exactly define the time duration of the night as this solely depends upon the location, season, and latitude.
Moon is the only source of light at the night. Since the moon does have has its light, the sunlight reflected from Sun glows to the moon and hence moon reflects the light and becomes the source of light at night.
While talking in astronomical terms, the astronomical night may be defined as the period between dusk and dawn.
At a given instance of time, one side of the earth experiences sunlight while the other is submerged in complete darkness. This darkness is caused due to the shadow of the earth blocking the sunlight.
The term Umbra is defined as the central region of the earth’s shadow. While on earth the night is slightly shorter than the daytime which depends mainly on two factors.
Firstly, due to the atmospheric refraction of sunlight, it reaches the earth’s surface with some delay.
Hence, this natural phenomenon extends the daytime. Secondly, the sun does not have a fixed shape and has a large angular diameter, hence the rays scatter for a long time.
Main Differences Between Day and Night
- The day is the period between sunrise and sunset whereas the night is the period between sunset and sunrise.
- The temperature of the day is high and warm whereas the temperature at night is low and cool.
- In winters, the duration of the day decreases due to early sunset whereas the duration of night is increased due to the late sunrise.
- On average, the day lasts longer due to atmospheric refraction of light and the large size of the sun whereas the nighttime is comparatively shorter than the daytime.
- The day is caused due to the sunlight on earth whereas night is a result of the shadow caused by the blocking of sunlight.
- https://www.ajevonline.org/content/23/2/71.short
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673607615384
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196064494702098
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