Why can’t we feel the Earth moving?
Right now, you’re zooming through space at incredible speeds. As just one of all the living creatures on Earth, you’re along for the ride…
If the Earth is moving, why don’t we feel it? This is exactly the kind of question my students ask, and it’s a completely logical one. After all, Earth isn’t sitting still. It’s traveling around the Sun at over 67,000 miles per hour, while simultaneously spinning on its axis at roughly 1,000 miles per hour. So if Earth is in constant motion, why don’t we feel it?
The short answer: we don’t feel it because we’re moving with it at the same speed. Gravity holds us securely to the surface, preventing us from flying off into space. Like the article points out, think of it like Earth giving us a constant “hug.”
Another helpful analogy, from the article, is air travel. When you’re on a plane cruising at hundreds of miles per hour, you don’t feel like you’re moving. It’s stable enough to walk around, read a book, or enjoy a drink. You only notice the motion when the plane encounters turbulence or changes speed suddenly.
Earth works the same way. It moves at such a smooth and constant pace that we never feel it. However, if it suddenly slowed down or sped up, we’d definitely notice. Fortunately, that hasn’t happened (at least not to my knowledge).
Here’s something even more mind-blowing: the Sun is also in motion, traveling at approximately 514,000 miles per hour as it orbits the center of our galaxy.
That makes sense when you consider its massive size. In fact, about 1.3 million Earths could fit inside the Sun.
What’s even crazier? Our Sun isn’t even one of the largest stars in the universe.
Learning these facts really puts things in perspective. It reminds us just how small we are in the grand scope of the cosmos.