Why is the language of sunrise and sunset misleading?

Answer 1

The sun doesn't really rise and set. When it looks like the sun is moving up from the horizon in the morning, moving across the sky all day, and moving down below the opposite horizon in the evening, it's not the sun that's moving; it's the earth. The rotation of the earth is what makes the sun look like it's moving. It's kind of similar in a way to when you're laying down in a car and you see out the side window utility poles or street lights going by, except, of course, it's not the poles that are moving; it's the car.

Answer 2

Referring to sunrise and sunset as if the sun is moving around the Earth is misleading because it's actually the Earth's rotation that makes the sun appear to rise and set. The sun doesn't actually rise or set—it's our perspective that changes as the Earth rotates on its axis.