The moving Earth.
Corel Corporation.

The Moving Earth

Even though we cannot sense it, the Earth is constantly in motion. In fact, the Earth isn't just moving, it's moving really fast! The fact that we do not feel as if we are moving led people to believe that the Earth is the stationary center of the universe for centuries.

Eventually, astronomers discovered that the only way to explain all of the motions they observed in the sky was if the Earth were really moving. From their observations of the sky, they realized that there are two components to the Earth's motion; the Earth is orbitting the Sun, and the Earth is spinning like a top.

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Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA