Earth Fact of the Day

Earth's Fast Flight: Why It's "Space Ship Earth"

In common with the entire solar system, the earth is moving through space at the rate of approximately 12.5 miles/second or 45,000 miles per hour (20.1 km/sec or 72,360 km/hr). The earth is moving towards the constellation Hercules. The Milky Way galaxy as a whole, however, is moving toward the constellation Leo at about 375 miles per second (600 km/sec).

The earth and its satellite, the moon, also move toward an elliptical orbit about the sun. The eccentricity of the orbit is slight, so that the orbit is virtually a circle. The approximate length of the earth's orbit is 583,400,000 miles (938,900,000 km), and the earth travels along it at a velocity of about 66,000 miles per hour (106,000 km).

So, next time you're feeling a little dizzy, maybe after a merry-go-round or a swing ride or an airplane ride, remember it could be a lot worse!