Science - Movement of the Sun and Moon
Our planetary system is located in an outer spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy. Our solar system consists of our star, the Sun, and everything bound to it by gravity – the planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune; dwarf planets such as Pluto; dozens of moons; and millions of asteroids, comets, and meteoroids. Beyond our own solar system, we have discovered thousands of planetary systems orbiting other stars in the Milky Way. (courtesy of NASA)
Our Milky Way and everything in it is moving and on a collision course with another spiral galaxy called Andromeda. Andromeda will be tangled up with us about 5 billion years. The Sun moves along a path known as the Solar Apex in the path of the star Vega at an incredible speed of 720,000 km/h. In rough terms, this shows that the Sun traverses some 17.28 million km a day. As well as the Sun itself, all the planets and satellites within its gravitational field also travel the same distance.
Qur'an - Movement of the Sun and Moon
More than 1400 years ago, Quran described the movement of the Sun & moon and how their relationship is precisely calculated.
Verse 36:39, below, describes the moon's movement and how it travels through its calculated phases (each month from a 12 month lunar calendar) and then it returns to its original crescent shape (similar to a old branch of date tree bending down under its weight). Verse 36:40 beautifully describes the movement of everything in the universe as "swimming along in their orbits"! Additionally, God has placed an equilibrium (according to the law) between the Sun & moon (orbits, speeds, rotation, gravitational forces...) such that they can never overtake each other. Furthermore, Quran says that the length of the night and day are calculated & determined (another encouragement for us to find out how)!
وَالْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَاهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّى عَادَ كَالْعُرْجُونِ الْقَدِيمِ لَا الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
"And the moon, for which We have determined (calculated & measured) phases [which it must traverse] till it becomes like an old date-stalk, dried-up and curved; It is not permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon, nor can the Night outstrip the Day: All celestial bodies in the universe swim along in (their own) orbit (according to Law & calculation)." 36:39-40
أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
"Do you not see that Allah causes the night to enter the day and causes the day to enter the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term, and that Allah , with whatever you do, is Acquainted?" 31:29
يُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لِأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى
ذَلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَالَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ مَا يَمْلِكُونَ مِن قِطْمِيرٍ
"He causes the night to enter the day, and He causes the day to enter the night and has subjected the sun and the moon -
each running [its course] for a specified term. That is Allah , your Lord; to Him belongs sovereignty.
And those whom you invoke other than Him do not possess [as much as] the membrane of a date seed." 35:13
The verse below clearly is telling us that the movement of sun and moon are based on precise calculations and rules. In other words, challenging us to discover it! The very first things that humans could discover from such movement (day & night) is the calculation of Time and constructing a precise calendar! Isn't today's technology, manufacturing, living, and other affairs dependent on calculation of Time?!
الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ
"The sun and the moon [move] by precise calculation (and rules)," 55:5