planetary rotations

planetary rotations

Planets rotate in different ways. 1 The Earth The Earth's mean distance from the Sun is 93 million mi (150 million km). The Earth orbits the Sun in 365.25 days. Meanwhile, the Earth rotates every 23 hr 56 min. 2 The Moon It takes 27.3 days for the Moon to complete one orbit of the Earth. Because it takes exactly the same time for the Moon to turn once on its own axis, the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth. The far side of the Moon can be seen only from space. 3 The Sun The Sun, like the Earth, rotates on its axis. Because the Sun is made of gas it can rotate at different speeds at different latitudes: it rotates more slowly at its poles than at its equator. Rotation periods are approximately 34–7 days at its poles and 24–6 days at its equator.