The Earth moves in two main ways: it spins on its axis and it revolves around the Sun.
- Rotation: Earth spins around its own axis, which is an imaginary line running from the North Pole to the South Pole. This rotation takes about 24 hours to complete, resulting in day and night. The Earth spins eastward, and this motion is called rotation
- Revolution: At the same time, Earth moves in an elliptical orbit around the Sun. This movement is called revolution and takes about 365 days (one year) to complete. The speed of Earth's orbit varies slightly, ranging from about 29.29 km/s to 30.29 km/s
Additionally, Earth's axis is tilted about 23.45 degrees relative to its orbital plane, causing seasonal changes. The axis also slowly wobbles in a cycle called precession, which takes about 26,000 years to complete
. Beyond these, Earth, along with the entire Solar System, moves through the Milky Way galaxy at speeds around 200-220 km/s, and the galaxy itself moves relative to other galaxies in the universe
. In summary, Earth rotates daily on its axis, revolves yearly around the Sun, and travels through the galaxy as part of the Solar System's motion through space
