Earth orbits the Sun at an average distance of 149.60 million km (92.96 million mi), or 8.317 light-minutes, [1] in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from above the Northern Hemisphere. One complete orbit takes 365.256 days (1 sidereal year), during which time Earth has traveled 940 million km (584 million mi). [2] .

The closest distance Earth is to the Sun, or perihelion, is 146 million km (91 million mi) and the farthest or aphelion is 152 million km (94 million mi). It takes light (or any other electromagnetic radiation) just over eight minutes to travel from Sun to Earth.

As the Earth orbits the Sun, the Earth is pulled by the gravitational forces of the Sun, Moon, and large planets in the solar system, primarily Jupiter and Saturn. Over long periods of time, the gravitational pull of other members of our solar system slowly change Earth’s spin, tilt, and orbit.

The standard acceleration of gravity for Earth is defined (CODATA 2018) as 9.80665 m/s 2 (exact).

Nov 18, 2024 · Earth’s orbit around the Sun is not circular, but an ellipse. The perimeter of Earth’s orbit is roughly 584 million miles (940 million km).

Jan 22, 2025 · Orbit and Rotation. As Earth orbits the Sun, it completes one rotation every 23.9 hours. It takes 365.25 days to complete one trip around the Sun. That extra quarter of a day presents a challenge to our calendar system, which counts one year as 365 days.

Oct 20, 2023 · Orbit around the Sun: Earth goes around the Sun in 365 and 1/4 days. Every 4 years, the extra quarters add up to one whole day and we add a day to the end of February, creating a leap...

Nov 21, 2014 · The Earth completes one orbit every 365.242199 mean solar days, a fact which goes a long way towards explaining why need an extra calendar day every four years (aka. during a leap year).

Jan 14, 2025 · An orbit is a regular, repeating path that one object in space takes around another one. An object in an orbit is called a satellite. A satellite can be natural, like Earth or the Moon. Since the Earth orbits the Sun, you’re actually in orbit right now! Many planets, like Earth, have moons that orbit them.

Circular Orbit. Gravity supplies the necessary centripetal force to hold a satellite in orbit about the earth. The circular orbit is a special case since orbits are generally ellipses, or hyperbolas in the case of objects which are merely deflected by the planet's gravity but not captured.