How many miles does the earth move around the sun each day?

1 Answer
Mar 1, 2016

About #1.6# million miles.

Explanation:

If you prefer, start with the following:

  • The Earth's average distance from the sun is about #9.3 xx 10^7# miles.

  • The Earth's orbit is roughly circular (I know it's really closer to an ellipse, but it's good enough for an approximation).

  • The Earth travels around the Sun in about #365# days.

The length of the Earth's path around the Sun in one year is about #2pi r# where #r = 9.3 xx 10^7# miles is the radius.

#2pi * (9.3 xx 10^7) ~~ 5.84 xx 10^8# miles

Divide this by #365# to get the distance per day:

#(5.84 xx 10^8) / 365 = 1.6 xx 10^6# miles.