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If you visualize things, this approach might work for you. I don't mean to be disingenuous if it doesn't.
Homer and the lava lamp - Or why you see different constellations.
In an average sized lounge room in Springfield, take out all the furniture except for a really bright lava lamp in the middle of the room. On one wall is a picture of Marge and on the opposite wall is a picture of Bart, Lisa and Maggie. Walking around the lava lamp, doing pirouettes, is Homer.
When Homer is on the side of the room with Marge's picture, he can see Marge when he's facing away from the lava lamp (night) but can only see the blinding lava lamp when he's facing the other direction (day).
If he keeps walking around the lava lamp until he gets to the other side of the room, he'll see the kids when he's facing away from the lava lamp and only a bright light when he's looking towards the lamp.
Slow that all down so that it takes 24 hours for planet Homer to do a pirouette and a year to walk around the solar lava lamp. At the start of the year he can see the constellation Marge and then six months later he can see the constellations Bart, Lisa and Maggie.
Hope that helps (or at least doesn't make it worse).
Steve.
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