What is the velocity of the Earth?
When you step outside to look at the stars, doesn't it seem as though
the Earth is standing still? It's
not! In fact, the Earth never rests, it's always in motion.
The gravitational pull between the Earth and Sun causes the Earth to
travel around, or "orbit", the Sun at a velocity of 29.8
km/sec. At the same time, the Earth also turns on its axis causing the
daily cycle of day and night. This "rotational velocity" is
approximately .47 km/sec.
That means that at the same time we're hurdling through space at
nearly 67,000 mph, we're also spinning around in circles at over 1000 mph! Whew!
Almost makes you dizzy, doesn't it?
Submitted by Arthur
(August 6, 1997)
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