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The Earth has a certain speed, and it would move ahead in a straight line. However, the Sun attracts the Earth, making it bend it's path slightly towards it. In a way, it keeps falling around the Sun. If that seems complicated, just write down "because of gravity".
Contrary to a previous answer, this does not cause day and night. It causes summer and winter though, together with the tilt of the Earths rotation around its axis.
All motion is relative in astrophysics. Up, down, left, right mean nothing when you get out into space, without a point of reference.
So from the sun's perspective the earth is going around and around. From the perspective of someone in another solar system it's going back and forth, from someone in another galaxy (with reeeeally good eyes) it's going in a straight line relative to them (as it moves with the rest of the galaxy),
The Earth "orbits" the Sun, meaning that it goes around the Sun in about a year. The path it takes is slightly elliptical and it takes about 365.25 days to make its journey, which is why we add one day to our year every four years.
Compared to what ? If you're hanging in space above the north pole and
looking down, you see the Earth revolving counterclockwise. And if you're
hanging in space above the south pole looking down, you see it revolving
clockwise.
It orbits the sun due to inertia. When it was created, the earth had a large portion of sideways motion (i.e. not heading straight towards the sun). The sun's gravity pulls the earth towards it, but does nothing to speed up or slow down this 'sideways' motion.
The end result is that the earth, trying to go in a straight line, is turned and ends up moving in a circle about the sun.
You can experience something like this if you tie a rope to a pole, and try to walk in a straight line while holding the other end. The rope will not bring you any closer, but it will cause you to walk in circles. This is only a very rough analogy though, and isn't exactly what's happening, but it'll give you the general idea.
The Earth revolves because there is a mutual force of attractions between itself and the sun which creates a gravitational force.
The question realized, correctly, that a vantage point has to be specified, because
different observers in different places will interpret revolution to be taking place in
different directions. But the question doesn't solve the problem; it only shifts the
ambiguity. Before we can attempt an answer, we must ask: What does "above" mean ?
OK. Let's say we take off on June 21, and travel in the direction that the earth's
north pole points, toward the North Star (Polaris). After we've gone 101.4 million
miles or so, we stop and look back. We'll be about 40 million miles from the sun,
in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the earth's orbit, and our navigator
will observe the earth and sun to be 66.5 degrees apart on his visi-screen.
If we could hang there indefinitely, motionless with respect to the sun and not
rotating with respect to the distant stars, and watch the earth sailing around a
big circle with a visual diameter of 132 degrees, we'd see it circling in the counter-
clockwise direction. If we focus down on the earth sharp enough to see surface
features on it, we'd see it also rotating counterclockwise.
If we can see the moon, we see that it's also going the same way. The moon is
circling the earth in a counterclockwise direction with respect to the earth's north
pole, but that's not what we see from our lofty perch out here, because the earth
and moon are zipping along the earth's giant orbit together. To us, the moon's track
looks very much the same as the earth's track, only with slight bulges and dents
in it, that allow the moon to fall slightly behind the earth when it's on the sunward
side, and to zip slightly ahead of the earth when it's on the back side.
One thing is for sure: After watching all this for a while, you'll be ready to come
back down onto solid ground, where we pretty much ignore all this spinning
and twirling and revolving that's always going on around us and under our feet.
The Earth orbits the Sun in the same direction as the Sun rotates about its own axis. This direction is counter-clockwise from the north pole side of the orbital plane and clockwise from the south pole side.
If you're hanging in space above the sun's north pole and looking down, you
see the Earth revolving counterclockwise. And if you're hanging in space above
the sun's south pole looking down, you see it revolving clockwise.
east to west. A+
Viewed as if looking from above the North Pole, Earth and all the other objects in the Solar System rotate counter clockwise.
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What does the earth orbit around and how long does it takes?
The Earth orbits around the Sun; it takes one year for an orbit.The Earth orbits around the Sun; it takes one year for an orbit.The Earth orbits around the Sun; it takes one year for an orbit.The Earth orbits around the Sun; it takes one year for an orbit.
Do we have days and nights because the sun orbits the earth?
No. (But if you like that idea, go read Terry Pratchett.)
Does the earth still in place while the sun orbits around us?
NO!
Why do we have spring?
Earth orbits the Sun in a tilted-over position. Spring and Fall are the two seasons when Earth's tilt is halfway between forward to the Sun and rearward to the Sun.
What are the planets between the earth and the moon?
There are no "planets" between the Earth and its Moon (the closest astronomical body to our planet). Earth has no natural satellites other than the Moon, although some Sun-orbiting asteroids (notably 3753 Cruithne) have orbits that intersect the Earth's orbit and have moon-like resonances with Earth and other inner planets.There are two planets whose orbits are between the Earth and the Sun : Mercury and Venus.
What are the directions of the orbits of the moon and earth?
Viewed from a vantage point above the north poles of both the Sun and the Earth, the Earth orbits in a counterclockwise direction about the Sun. Similarly the Moon orbits the Earth in a counterclockwise direction. From the same vantage point, the Earth, Moon and Sun also rotate on their axes of spin in a counterclockwise direction.
How does the sun orbits oroung the moon?
The Moon orbits around the Earth, not the Sun. The Sun orbits around the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way. The Earth orbits the Sun, and the Moon orbits the Earth.
Does the earth orbit the planet?
No. Earth is a planet. It orbits the sun, which is a star.
How is the earth and moon orbit different?
The Earth orbits around the Sun, while the moon orbits around the Earth.
How does the earth spin as it orbits the sun?
The Earth spins on its axis in the counter clockwise direction, when viewed from above the North Pole.
What is the eclipticA. The plane that the sun orbits Earth onB. The plane that the moon orbits the sun onC. The plane that Earth orbits the sun onD. The plane that the moon orbits Earth on?
C.
What is Venus to orbit earth?
Venus orbits the sun.
Which of the earth sun and moon orbits which?
The Earth orbits around the Sun, while the Moon orbits around the Earth. The Sun remains stationary at the center of our solar system, while both Earth and Moon move in elliptical paths around their respective orbits.
Dose the moon and the earth orbit around the sun?
The Moon orbits the Earth, the Earth orbits the Sun
What describes a satellite which orbits a planet revolving around the sun?
A satellite is an object which orbits a larger body. For example, the Moon orbits the Earth, and the Earth orbits the Sun. The Moon is a satellite of the Earth and the Earth is a Satellite of the Sun.
What is the relationship between the Earth Sun and Moon in space?
The sun is in the center of the solar system. The Earth orbits the sun, and the moon orbits the Earth.
What is the relationship between earth sun and the moon in space?
The sun is in the center of the solar system. The Earth orbits the sun, and the moon orbits the Earth.
