Direction the earth orbits the sun?

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

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),

Answer 3

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.

Answer 4

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.

Answer 5

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.

Answer 6

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.

Answer 7

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.

Answer 8

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+

Answer 9

Viewed as if looking from above the North Pole, Earth and all the other objects in the Solar System rotate counter clockwise.

Answer 10

The earth is locked in a gravitational orbit with the sun. Its forward motion is exactly balanced. It takes one year to make a complete orbit.