Surah Yasee n, v

37) And a sign for them is the night. We remove from it [the light of] day, so they are [left] in darkness.

The Sun The sun is the largest body in the solar system. The sun is exceedingly hot and consists of burning gases. The temperature on the surface of the Sun is 6,000 degrees Celsius, and 12 million degrees Celsius inside it. Explosions like millions of atom bombs going off take place the whole time on its surface. These explosions throw giant flames times bigger than the Earth. The sun is a huge ball of fire that gives off enormous heat and light from its surface. In the dark and cold space, only the sun warms and brightens the Earth. Without the sun, a permanent night will prevail and life will cease to exist.

The Sun The earth rotates on its polar axis and orbits around the sun. The earth’s movement in relation to the sun creates the earth’s night and day as well as its seasons. The earth rotates toward the east so the sun appears to rise in the east. The sun appears to set in the west, but the bright side of the earth is turning east, away from the sun. One side of the earth is always facing away from the sun, the earth’s rotation means that one planetary day includes periods of daylight and darkness. The constant motion of ht earth means that the change from light to dark, and from dark to light, is a gradual, continuous movement.

At dawn, when the first light of the day occurs - earth is turning toward the sun. Dusk is the period of the day when the last light occurs, as the earth is turning away from the sun.

38) And the sun runs [on course] toward its stopping point. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.

The Trajectory The Sun moves a path known as the Solar Apex in the path of the star Vega at 720,000 kmph (447,000 mph). The sun traverses million km a day. All the planets and satellites within the suns gravitational field also travel with the sun The moves 1.5 inches or 4 cm away from the earth every year.

39) And the moon – We have determined for it phases, until it returns [appearing] like the old date stalk.

Diameter = 3,480 km (one-quarter of earth’s diameter) Distance to the moon from the earth = 384,000 km Density = three-fifths that of the earth’s. Total Mass = 1.2 percent of the earth’s mass. Gravity = one-sixth the gravity that earth has. The moon orbits around the earth and spins on its polar axis. The orbit of the moon, combined with the position of the earth and sun, produces the phases of the moon: The Moon

New moon: when the moon is between the earth and the sun, so that the side facing the earth is dark, making moon invisible. First quarter: the moon is one-quarter further in it orbit past new moon, the right half of its near face is illuminated. Full moon – the moon is halfway through its orbit from new moon, and all of its near faces is illuminated. Last-quarter moon - the moon is three- quarters of the way through its orbit from the new moon, and the left half of its near face is illuminated.

40) It is not allowable for the sun to reach the moon, nor does the night overtake the day, but each, in an orbit, is swimming.