The Earth with its Sun.
Click on image for full size
Aris Multimedia Entertainment, Inc. 1994
The Earth's Orbit
Like all planets in our solar system, the Earth is in an elliptical
orbit around our Sun. In Earth's case, its orbit is nearly circular, so
that the difference between Earth's farthest point from the Sun and
its closest point is very small. Earth's orbit defines a
two-dimensional plane which we call the
ecliptic.
It takes roughly 365 days for the Earth to go around the Sun once.
This means that the Earth is rushing through space around the Sun at a
rate of about 67,000 miles per hour! The time it takes for the Earth
to go around the Sun one full time is what we call a year.
The combined effect of the Earth's orbital motion and the tilt of its rotation axis result in the seasons.
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