* Earth's Rotation: Our planet spins on its axis, completing one full rotation approximately every 24 hours. This rotation is what causes day and night.
* Sun's Position: The sun appears to move across the sky from east to west as the Earth rotates.
* Shadow Direction: As the sun's position changes, so does the direction from which the light hits an object. This change in light direction causes the shadow to move in the opposite direction.
Think of it like this:
1. Morning: The sun is in the east, casting long shadows towards the west.
2. Afternoon: The sun moves higher in the sky towards the south (in the Northern Hemisphere). The shadows become shorter and move towards the east.
3. Evening: The sun is in the west, casting long shadows towards the east.
In summary: The apparent movement of the sun across the sky due to Earth's rotation causes the shadows to move in the opposite direction.
