Super Simple Earth Model

Physical Astronomy by Daniel Cummings

Stand outside on a sunny day or in a room with only one light. If you are inside the light should be at eye level when you are standing up. This will be your Sun.

Stand up, make sure there is space around you – things might get messy if you start spinning like the earth and there are things to bump into.

Turn to the left and begin a slow leftward spin. This is the direction that the Earth rotates (as “seen” from above the north pole).

Your head is like the earth. Your eyes are like two different people on the surface of the earth. They are looking straight out from the earth toward the sun.

As you spin in your leftward rotation, wink your left eye shut. Observe how your left eye can see the light before your right eye. This is like the east and west coasts of the USA. The east coast is a few hours ahead. Observe how when you continue to spin and your eyes turn away from the light source it is like night.

Spin a few times more to feel yourself as the Earth model. 29-31 spins makes a month. 365 spins makes a year. Multiply your age in years by 400 and that’s about how many days you’ve been riding on the earth – give or take a few hundred.