What is the difference between earth's distance from the sun and earth's orbital velocity?

Answer 1

Rotation is the word we use to describe the motion of an object that's moving but not going anywhere.

Think of a spinning Basketball perched on the tip of Lebron James' finger or Meadowlark Lemmons' finger.

Think of a CD, DVD, or LP record spinning while the music is playing.

Think of the minute hand, on a clock that has hands and is hanging on the wall.

Each of these things is rotating.

Revolution is the word we use to describe the motion of an object that's moving in a closed path,

around a place or another object that may not be moving at all.

Think of the cars in the Indy 500 race.

Think of a carved horse on the outside edge of a spinning carousel.

Think of the moon traveling a closed path around the earth once a month.

Each of these things is revolving.

Answer 2

There is nothing "unique" about the Moon.

With regards to its periods of rotation and revolution being equal, "tidally locked" satellites are not unusual; in fact, are quite common. Check the link below, and note that a rotational period of "S" in this table indicates "Synchronous".

Answer 3

Rotation is a day - revolution is a year.

The earth rotates on what is called its axis. This is an imaginary line connecting (roughly) the north pole with the south pole. Every object on earth is rotating around this central line. This process is called rotation, and we compute our 24-hour days as meaning one full trip around this imaginary line, or axis. The equator is the widest path, like a belt, around the earth.

The implications of this include the fact that boulder #1, for instance, sitting on the equator, is rotating much faster than a similar boulder #2 far to the north, or #3, far south, of the equator. Why? Because bolder #1 travels much farther than either of the others, and yet it must make the trip in one day, just as the other two (#2 and #3) must. Of course, none of the boulders will appear to move, if you're on the earth also - because you're moving at roughly the same speed, and in the same direction.

These facts tell us a lot: For instance - the equator is considered to be a circle; all circles have 360 degrees. Any point on the equator rotates once in 24 hours, around the widest part of the earth's sphere. That distance in miles is 25,000. Divide that 25,000 by 24 (the number of hours), and you get 1, 416. So, an object at the equator is rotating around the earth's axis at 1, 416 miles per hour (mph). Also - another way to look at it: that 360 degrees, divided by the 24, equals 15. And so the earth rotates 15 degrees every hour. This figure gives us our Time Zones: The world's people have agreed that a full day is 24 hours, (by choice, not necessity) and because we make one time zone for every hour (also by choice), it means that each time zone is equal to 15 degrees.

There is much more that could be said - and I hope someone will add to this, if I don't; it is an excellent question and a good answer will teach us a lot about astronomy and geometry and other things.

Answer 4

Revolution in astronomy means the orbit of a planet, or other space object, around the Sun, or other star - or year.

Rotation on the other hand, is a planet or moons rotation around it's axis - or day.

Answer 5

Rotation is how an object spins on its axis, like a planet, or a Baseball or tennis ball with spin on it. Revolution is how an object revolves around another object, like the Earth around the Sun or a tether ball around the pole.

Answer 6

According to Kepler's Second Law, it should be (approximately) an inverse relationship. (I believe this is not exact, since Earth doesn't move exactly at a right angle to the Sun.) The Second Law states that the line that connects Sun and Earth covers the same area in the same time; this means that when the Earth is closer to the Sun, it must move faster.

Answer 7

The Earth is in direct orbit around the Sun, while the moon is in direct orbit around the earth. The moon progresses around the sun with us, but it orbits the earth as it does so. the moon is in an indirect orbit around the sun.

Answer 8

The word "rotate" is used when an object moves around an axis within the object itself - it turns around. The word "revolve" is used when an object moves around another object - in this case, the Sun.

The word "rotate" is used when an object moves around an axis within the object itself - it turns around. The word "revolve" is used when an object moves around another object - in this case, the Sun.

The word "rotate" is used when an object moves around an axis within the object itself - it turns around. The word "revolve" is used when an object moves around another object - in this case, the Sun.

The word "rotate" is used when an object moves around an axis within the object itself - it turns around. The word "revolve" is used when an object moves around another object - in this case, the Sun.

Answer 9

The distance between the Earth and the Sun is one "astronomical unity", which is about 93 million miles. The Earth's orbital velocity is about 67,000 miles per hour.

The radius of a planet's orbit is proportional to the orbital velocity and to the mass of the primary.

Answer 10

An object rotates on it's axis (Spins) - Day

An object revolves around another object (Orbit) - Year

So for the Earth. A day is the time it takes the Earth to rotate once in it's axis - a day, whereas it takes a year to revolve around the Sun.

Rotation would just be an object spinning on its own, whereas revolution means that an object is going around another object.