Earth's Equatorial Speed
At the equator, Earth rotates at an impressive speed of about 1,674 kilometers per hour (1,040 miles per hour). This rotational speed decreases as you move towards the poles.
Rotation Affects Time
Earth's rotation influences our concept of time. A full rotation takes about 24 hours, which defines a day. However, the exact duration is approximately 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds, known as a sidereal day.
Coriolis Effect Explained
Earth's rotation causes the Coriolis effect, which influences weather patterns and ocean currents. This effect causes moving objects to deflect to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Perceptible Decrease in Speed
Over millions of years, Earth's rotation is gradually slowing down due to tidal forces caused by the Moon. This deceleration is roughly 1.7 milliseconds per century, lengthening our days ever so slightly.
Equatorial Bulge Phenomenon
Earth's rotation causes a bulge at the equator. This 'equatorial bulge' makes the planet an oblate spheroid rather than a perfect sphere, with a diameter about 43 kilometers larger at the equator than at the poles.Super Speed at Poles
If Earth stopped rotating, the atmosphere would continue spinning, creating winds up to 1,674 kph at the equator, devastating the surface.
What is Earth's equatorial speed?
1,040 kilometers per hour
1,674 kilometers per hour
1,674 miles per hour
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