Why We Don’t Sense the Earth’s Constant Motion Through Space
Although Earth spins at about 1,670 km per hour at the equator and orbits the Sun at nearly 30 km per second, we don’t feel this motion because everything around us — including the air, oceans, and ourselves — moves with the planet at the same constant speed. This uniform motion means there’s no acceleration for our bodies to detect. According to Newton’s First Law of Motion, motion at a constant velocity is indistinguishable from rest unless there’s a change in speed or direction. We only sense movement when acceleration occurs, such as during a car’s sudden start or stop. The vast scale of Earth’s motion and the absence of relative change make the movement imperceptible. Additionally, gravity firmly anchors us to the planet, providing a steady sense of “down” that masks any feeling of motion through space.
