The moving planets
Definition
Moving planets are planets that travel through space by moving in fixed paths called orbits around the Sun.
Main Details
Planets do not stay still; they are always in motion.
Each planet moves around the Sun in an oval-shaped path called an orbit.
This movement is called revolution.
Planets also spin on their own axis, which is called rotation.
The Sun’s strong gravity keeps planets moving in their paths.
Planets closer to the Sun move faster than planets farther away.
All planets move in the same direction around the Sun.
Examples
Earth moves around the Sun once in about 365 days (1 year).
Mercury moves very fast and completes one orbit in just 88 days.
Jupiter moves slowly and takes about 12 years to go around the Sun.
Saturn keeps moving while its rings move with it.
High-Interesting Points
Even though planets move very fast, we don’t feel it because everything on Earth moves together.
Planets never crash into each other because their paths are fixed.
The movement of Earth causes day and night (rotation) and seasons (revolution).
From Earth, some planets look like they move backward in the sky. This is called apparent backward motion.
Fun Fact
Earth moves around the Sun at about 107,000 km per hour.