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-   -   Orbit of the sun (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=180)

  • Jul 15, 2004, 09:18 PM
    pburger
    Orbit of the sun
    How many miles or kilometres does the Earth travel in one orbit of the sun? Is it constant?
  • Oct 12, 2004, 01:03 AM
    urmod4u
    Earth's orbit around the sun is 924,375,700 km or 574,380,400 miles (figures from NASA).
    You may consider it constant, keeping in mind that:
    - it varies (insignificantly) over the years due to interactions with other planets
    - it increases due to tidal effects by about 6 micrometer per year
    - it increases due to loss of sun-mass (nuclear activity and solar wind) by about 10 to 20 cm per year (figures vary depending on the source).
    This means that the distance sun-earth increases by about 1.5 to 3 cm (roughly, one inch) per year. That is 40 years for 1 meter, or 100,000 km over the age of the earth - or 0.6% of the actual distance.

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