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Last Post 10/27/2014 2:08 PM by Paulett Liewer

Speed of the Sun?

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10/27/2014 10:46 AM
I'm curious about the speed of the sun in relation to the Galaxy. There seems to be different opinions out there. Is it really traveling at 450,000 mph?

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Paulett Liewer

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Posts:113

10/27/2014 2:08 PM
One reason for different opinions is that the speed can be calculated relative to different objects. There's no single "fixed" object to use. Our Sun rotates around the center of our galaxy at about 480,000 miles per hour -- about the number you gave in your question. But the center of our galaxy is moving relative to other galaxies, so this is only one answer. You might ask "What's the speed of the Sun relative to the other stars in our neigborhood?" Then the answer is that the speed is about 43,000 mph. Think about when you say you're going 60 mph. By this you mean relative the surface of the Earth. But the Earth's surface is rotating..and the Earth is moving around the Sun...and the Sun is moving relative to the center of the galaxy! so really you're traveling much faster! Paulett