Speed of the Earth's Rotation. The Question (Submitted April 01, 1997) I am trying to find out the speed of the turning of the Earth. The Answer Basic Answer The circumference of the Earth at the equator is 25,000 miles. Multiply by cosine of your latitude to see how fast the Earth is rotating where you are. Earth is also moving around the Sun at about 67,000 miles per hour. Advanced Answer If by "turning" you mean the rotation of the Earth about its axis (where axis just means the straight line between the North and South poles) it is quite easy to figure out how fast any part of the Earth's surface is moving.
The Earth rotates once in a few minutes under a day (23 hours 56 minutes 04. 09053 seconds). An object on the Earth's equator will travel once around the Earth's circumference (40,075.036 kilometers) each sidereal day. The Earth is doing a lot more than rotating, although that is certainly the motion we notice most, because day follows night as a result. Astronomy 161: The Solar System.
Year of the Solar System: Home. Solar and Heliospheric Observatory Homepage. Eyes on the Solar System. For Students- Stanford Solar Center. Activities for Students You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him to find it for himself. -Galileo Galilei Tour through these topics to find exciting activities, images, interactive tools, text, and other resources to let you research our special star -- the Sun.
Check out our new comics series! Design Your Own Solar Cupcakes! Build an SDO Hexaflexagon! Activity Categories: Featured Activities: Back to Top Quizzes: Back to Top Sunspots: Back to Top Solar Music: Back to Top Viewing the Sun: Back to Top The Electromagnetic Spectrum: Back to Top Sundials: Back to Top Other Activities and Exercises: Back to Top. Solar Center.