If the Sun suddenly vanished?
478673
Looks like a controversy here....but no, gravity does not travel faster than light, it would take eight minutes before the earth's orbit changed.\n\n(If gravity was instantaneous, then it would be possible to use that to send messages faster than light!)
847832
Your lungs and all tissue exposed would freeze instantly (space is that cold)... any part of you facing the sun would immediately be bombarded with massive amounts of radiation and burn ... and it would all happen instantly and simultaneously.\n\nBut you wouldn't notice 'cause you'd already be dead.
57004
The Earth would lose sea tides and other water tides.  This would mean the sea receding in some parts of the world and flooding in other parts.  I also think that the Earth will "wobble" on its axis and its path of revolution around the sun would change.  That would mean change in the duration of the day and the year, I guess that would mean toal destruction.
1056294
As per Physics the world would never fall from its place. It can only happen only when the Sun ceases to exist and then the whole solar system and other objects under influence of gravity by the sun would simply leave its predefined orbit and move outwards into space until it is attracted by the gravitationalpull of some other body.
364195
None of us would have to worry about what we going to do the next day because we would all be dead.\n\nWhat would happen if the Earth stopped spinning?\nThe probability for such an event is practically zero in the next few billion years. If the Earth stopped spinning suddenly, the atmosphere would still be in motion with the Earth's original 1100 mile per hour rotation speed at the equator. All of the land masses would be scoured clean of anything not attached to bedrock. This means rocks, topsoil, trees, buildings, your pet dog, and so on, would be swept away into the atmosphere. \n\nIf the process happened gradually over billions of years, the situation would be very different, and it is this possibility which is the most likely as the constant torquing of the Sun and Moon upon the Earth finally reaches it's conclusion. If the rotation period slowed to 1 rotation every 365 days a condition called 'sun synchronous', every spot in the Earth would have permanent daytime or nighttime all year long. This is similar to the situation on the Moon where for 2 weeks the front-side is illuminated by the Sun, and for 2 weeks the back side is illuminated. This situation for the Earth is not the condition of 'stopped' rotation, but it is as close as the laws of physics will let the Earth get. \n\n \n\nIf it stopped spinning completely...not even once every 365 days, you would get 1/2 year daylight and 1/2 year nightime. During daytime for 6 months, the surface temperature would depend on your latitude, being far hotter that it is now at the equator than at the poles where the light rays are more slanted and heating efficiency is lower. This long-term temperature gradient would alter the atmospheric wind circulation pattern so that the air would move from the equator to the poles rather than in wind systems parallel to the equator like they are now. The yearly change in the Sun's position in the sky would now be just its seasonal motion up and down the sky towards the south due to the orbit of the Earth and its axial tilt. As you moved along constant lines of Earth latitude, you would see the elevation of the Sun increase or decrease in the sky just as we now see the elevation of the Sun change from a single point on the Earth due to the Earth's daily rotation. \n\nFor example, if you were at a latitude of +24 degrees North in the Summer and at a longitude where the Sun was exactly overhead, it would slide gradually to the horizon as Fall approached, but since the Sun has moved 90 degrees in its orbit, it would now be due west. Then as we approach Winter, you would now be located on the dark side of the Earth, and would have to travel in longitude to a location 180 degrees around the Earth to see the Sun 1/2 way up the sky because in the Winter, the Sun is 48 degrees south of its summer location in the sky. It's a little confusing, but if you use a globe of the Earth and orient it the right way, you can see how all this works out. \n\nAs for other effects, presumably the magnetic field of the Earth is generated by a dynamo effect that involves its rotation. If the Earth stopped rotating, it's magnetic field would no longer be regenerated and it would decay away to some low, residual value due to the very small component which is 'fossilized' in its iron-rich rocks. There would be no more 'northern lights' and the Van Allen radiation belts would probably vanish, as would our protection from cosmic rays and other high-energy particles. This is a significant biohazard.
707840
There are a lot of variables to consider.  First, lets assume the Earth's rotational axis is a line more or less on the same plane as the Earth's orbit around the Sun instead of the existing axis alignment which is more or less perpendicular to the plane of the Earth's orbit.  Then, lets assume the Earth has the same axial rotation rate it does now, that is, one complete revolution around the rotational axis every 24 hours or so.  Next, lets assume the new rotational axis is fixed.  An easy was to visualize this scenario would be to see the Earth orbiting around the Sun's poles instead of it's equator.  Finally, lets assume you are standing at teh South Pole.  Let's start with the Earth at 12:00, directly above the Sun's North Pole.  The Earth's southern hemisphere would be bathed in sunlight with the South Pole being closest to the Sun.  The Earth's rotational axis would be pointing straight at the Sun from the South Pole.  The Earth's Northern Hemisphere would be in total darkness.  The Earth would still be rotating once about every 24 hours, but at the Earth's South Pole, the Sun would be directly overhead, like at high noon.  It would stay that way for a month, until the Earth moved to 1:00, then the Sun would appear to move about 1/3 of the way down in the sky from high noon to the horizon. and would completely circle the sky every 24 hours, staying at that position all the way around.  It would stay that way for about another month until the Earth moved to 2:00 around the Sun. Then the Sun would appear to be only 1/3 the way above the horizon, and would circle the sky at that level for about another month.   At 3:00 in the Earth's orbit around the Sun, the Earth's rotational axis would be perpendicular to the Sun and parallel with the Earth's orbital path.  Again from the Earth's South Pole, you would have a virtual perpetual dawn with the Sun apparent on the horizon but never quite coming into view.  It would appear that the Sun was circling just below the horizon every 24 hours.  The view from the Earth's North Pole would be the same, except the Sun would appear to be circling the opposite direction just below the horizon.  It would stay this way for about a month, then would reverse the process with the North Pole becoming brighter as the Sun seems to be slowly spiraling up in the sky until the Earth reaches the 6:00 point in it's orbit around the Sun.  At this time, the North pole would be pointing directly at the Sun and it would appear to be high noon at the North Pole for about another month.  The same would happen as the Earth orbits around the Sun from 6:00 to 12:00 only in reverse, with the North Pole getting slowly darker as the Sun appears to slowly spiral down in the sky until it sinks below the northern horizon and starts to slowly spiral back up the sky in the southern hemisphere.  Of course, summer at either of the Earth's poles would be a real scorcher, especially as the Sun climbed high into the sky for months at a time.  The opposite effect would occur on the other side of the Earth, as things started getting colder, until the Sun just disappeared for about 6 months at a time.  \n\nFor folks on the Earth's equator, the Sun would appear to be standing still just below the southern horizon at Earth's 12:00 position in orbit around the Sun.  As the Earth moved in orbit around the Sun, the Sun's rising and setting arc would rise every day until the Earth reached 3:00 in it's orbit around the Sun, then the Sun would be rising and setting in an arc directly overhead and appear much as it does today in mid summer, with 24 hour days and a sunrise and sunset every day.  \n\nProbably the best bet for human survival in such conditions, people would need to be nomads and travel between the equator and the Earth's 30th parallels north and south, following the Sun as it moves over the sky.  Probably wouldn't be much water
1138859
solar rays could do that
919170
The theory is that gravity, or magnetism, moves at a certain speed.  The last I heard, that speed is still unknown but under study.  Thus, if the sun disappeared the earth would remain in orbit at the "speed of gravity"  and it would remain daylight at the "speed of Light."   Which speed is greater is yet to be determined.  However, my guess is that the speed of light is faster than the speed of magnetism.
1079952
The sun wouldn't rise or fall..., it just would be light all the time...
314191
Don't you think someone would notice if millions of humans suddenly simultaneously disappeared?
457185
when the sun dies and runs out of fuel. Then the earth will die because of no photosysthesis.
1153063
If the Earth's rotation slowed down gradually over millions of years, and this is the most likely scenario, it would be a very different story. If the Earth slowed down to one rotation every year, called synchronous rotation, every area on Earth would be in either sunlight or darkness for one year. This would be similar to what the Moon goes through where for two weeks the front side of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun followed by the front side being in darkness for two weeks. \n\nBut what if the Earth stopped rotating completely? In that case, one half the Earth would be in daylight for half the year while the other side would be in darkness. The second half of the year it would be reversed. Temperature variations would be far more extreme then they are now. The temperature gradient would affect the wind circulation also. Air would move from the equator to the poles rather then in wind systems parallel to the equator as they are now.
46481
No. We would know about it in Eight Minutes. If you think about it, the only way we even know that the Sun is there is by the heat and light that the Sun emits. If it blew up, we would feel the heat of the explosion (heat is slower than light), pieces would fly at us (in a nova ALMOST the speed of light, but not quite), and there would be a burst of light and then darkness (at the speed of light-8 min.) The pieces flying towards us would be getting closer at nearly the speed of light, and they would be emitting light, but light cannot travel faster than light, so it would still take eight minues. Even if we had a thermometer or camera right next to the Sun, radioing back information constantly, those radio waves only travel at the speed of light. Eight minutes.
689392
This depends on what you mean by the question.  If the Sun suddenly stopped shining, there would be a delay of some 500 seconds, or 8 minutes and 20 seconds, before the effect would be noticed.\n\nIf the Sun's fusion reactions were suddenly stopped, it would take millions of years for the Sun to cool.  Exactly how long it would take for the outside to stop shining depends on a lot of factors, including how well heat is transported between the inside and the surface, but estimates I've seen are around a few hundred thousand years before the Sun is visibly different.  If the Sun's nuclear furnace turned off tomorrow, measurement of sunlight would not detect that fact for many thousands of years.
762871
False.  The light would reach us in about eight minutes -- and if the sun blew up, the light alone would be enough to kill anyone on the day side.
315947
We would stay in essentially the same orbit around the sun and gravity on earth's surface would remain normal.\nTides would be solar-only, about 1/2 to 1/3 what we have now. (Lunar-only tide amplitude is about twice solar-only tide.) This change would cause a major adjustment to shore life and possibly to birds that travel extensively over ocean waters but would not be disastrous to land-dwellers. Loss of night-time illumination would affect nocturnal animals somewhat, but they do without moonlight for several days per month as it is. Bottom line, not a major threat.
986985
Okay, the obvious thing is that we would stop having the change of day and night. It would really screw up our weather. For instance, wind is created by the uneven heating of the earth. If one side were to get all the heat, that isn't quite uneven is it? Meaning no wind. meaning weather wouldn't travel.  I don't know if that means one spot wouldn't get rain. Since, the whole water cycle is still going. At least on one side of the planet. Mainly, one side of the planet would stop working. (unless tht one side is were the deepest part of the oceans are, which is were animals and plants living off the heat and gases being expelled from inside the earth. those animals would still be alive.) The other side, would become over-heated. \nHowever, gravity might still exist. I wasn't really aware until about 2 years ago, but gravity is still a theory. Why, well its b/c not all the scientists agree as to why gravity exists. one argument is that the mass of a planet bends the fabric of space which causes things to head to it. Kind of like setting a bowling ball on a bed. The reason why we're not all colliding with the sun is b/c we create our own dent. So, yes gravity might still exist, even if the planet stops spinning, b/c that migt not be the reason gravity exists.  if you really want to learn about the theory that i was talking about. and possibly get a clearer view, is by reading Steven Hawkings Universe Inside A Nutshell.