Earth's Orbit

Earth's orbit around the Sun
Credit: BBC
 

The Earth orbits the Sun at a speed of around 30 kilometres per second!

It takes the Earth 365-and-a-quarter days to go all the way around the Sun once. One year is 365 days, so every four years we add up the extra four quarters to make one extra day. That year has 366 days. We call it a 'leap year'. 

While the Earth orbits the Sun, it also spins around on its axis. It takes the Earth 24 hours (one day) to complete one full spin. The Earth's axis is an imaginary line through the Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole.