Why Can't We Feel the Earth Moving Even When It Is Moving at 67,000 MPH?
Earth speeds around the Sun at roughly 67,000 mph, yet we feel nothing because our bodies, the air, and the ground all move at that same steady speed together.
Earth is constantly moving in two different ways and yet we don’t feel any of that. Have you wondered why? Let’s explore the science behind this.
The two ways in which the earth moves are spinning in its own axis, and the other is orbiting round the sun. Earth rotates around the sun at speeds of 67000 mph or 107,000 km/h.
The other is spinning in its own axis, earth is continuously spinning around its own axis, rotating at a speed of 1000 miles/hour or 1670 km/hr.
Now, if the earth is spinning at such a speed and also orbiting the sun at unbelievably fast speeds, why don’t we feel it.
Let’s understand why we don’t feel it.
Why Can't We Feel Constant Speed?
We don't feel the speed, instead we feel the when the changes occur in speed. This is due to the inertia, a principle which says that a moving body will keep on moving at a steady pace, until a force acts on it.
Earth has been orbiting the sun and spinning around its own axis for billions of years and surprisingly there hasn't been any sudden jolts in its movement.
As earth travels around the sun it tends to increase its speed as it comes closer to the sun, and slows down as it gets away from the sun. But these changes are so gradual, it does not become noticeable.
What Would Makes Us Feel the Change in Earth’s Motion?
We would feel the change in the earth’s motion if a sudden acceleration, deceleration or a change in the direction. If the earth is to change its speed of rotating around the axis it would result in throwing everything off balance.
Because the gravity is holding everything together, it pulls everything towards the center of the earth, we don’t feel the subtle changes in speed.
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Mriganka Chakraborty is a seasoned digital journalist and communications professional who is currently working as Deputy Manager at Jagran Josh, where he leads the General Knowledge Section. As a subject matter expert with 8+ years of editorial experience, he has created authoritative content that is trusted by millions of readers around the world in Science, History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Sports, and Technology. His extensive expertise in these subjects enables him to present complex topics in an engaging, accurate, and reader-friendly manner to a global audience, making learning addictive and fun.
His background in a wide range of content areas and his ability to move between them make him a trusted voice to readers who want reliable, well-researched content across a variety of disciplines.
In his leisure time, Mriganka enjoys reading fiction novels and watching action and thriller movies, and cricket, which not only hone his storytelling skills but also keep his editorial vision fresh and dynamic.
