Gravity keeps everything in orbit
Rotation
- rotation means spinning – stars spin, planets spin, moons spin and galaxies spin – even atoms spin.
- our Earth takes 23 hours 56 minutes and 4.2 seconds to make one rotation around itself.
- fastest-rotating planet is Jupiter – turns around once every 9.84 hours.
- slowest-rotating planet is Venus – takes 243 days to turn around.
- our sun takes 25.4 days to rotate.
- space objects also move around each other – moons orbit planets, planets orbit stars and stars orbit the centre of galaxies.
- our Earth’s movements are not actually felt because everything is moving with it – however Earth’s spin can be seen as our Sun, Moon and stars move across the sky.
- gravity keeps everything in orbit – our Sun’s gravity pulls our Earth and Earth’s gravity pulls the Moon.
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How long is one day on other planets?
| Planet | Day Length / Years Length |
| Mercury | 58 days 16 hours (0.51 mph /10.83 km/h) / 88 days |
| Venus | 243 days 26 minutes (4.1 mph / 6.45 km/h) / 225 days |
| Earth (1 day = 24 hours) | 23 hours 56 minutes (978.1 mph / 1,574 km/h) / 365 days (1 year) |
| Mars | 24 hours 36 minutes (538.1 mph / 866 km/h) / 687 days |
| Jupiter | 9 hours 55 minutes (28,323.9 mph / 45,583 km/h) / 12 years |
| Saturn | 10 hours 33 minutes (22,861.3 mph / 36,840 km/h) / 29 years |
| Uranus | 17 hours 14 minutes (9,192.6 mph /14,794 km/h) / 84 years |
| Neptune | 16 hours (6,039.1 mph / 9,719 km/h) / 165 years |
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Did you know?
- The fastest-spinning objects in the Universe are neutron stars – these can rotate 500 times in just one second!
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