Understanding Day and Night Cycles

Study Notes

The Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours, which is equivalent to one day.
The Earth orbits around the Sun once every 365.25 days, which is equivalent to one year.
The extra 0.25 days is accounted for every four years in a leap year, where February has 29 days instead of 28.

The side of the Earth that faces the Sun experiences daylight, while the side that does not face the Sun experiences nighttime.
Daytime begins at sunrise and ends at sunset, which corresponds to the Earth rotating towards and away from the Sun.
However, due to the Earth's tilt on its axis (23.5°), some parts of the world experience constant daylight or darkness during certain times of the year.

An equinox occurs when the plane of the Earth's Equator passes through the center of the Sun, resulting in day and night being equal in length.
A solstice occurs when the Sun is at its highest or lowest point in the sky, resulting in the longest or shortest day of the year.
The solstices mark the beginning of summer or winter, and the Sun appears to stand still in the sky before changing direction.

The Moon orbits around the Earth once every 27.3 days, which is equivalent to a lunar month.
The Moon also takes 27.3 days to rotate on its own axis, which is why we only see one side of the Moon.
The other side of the Moon is called the "dark side of the Moon".

The Moon's orbit is tilted 5° relative to the Earth's orbit around the Sun, which is why we don't experience a Solar or Lunar Eclipse every new or full Moon.
The Moon is always half-illuminated, but the amount of illumination we see depends on the Moon's position relative to the Earth and Sun.
The phases of the Moon, including waxing, waning, gibbous, and crescent, are determined by the Moon's position relative to the Earth and Sun.
An eclipse occurs when the Earth, Moon, and Sun are aligned, resulting in a Solar or Lunar Eclipse.