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Name: Christina H.
Status: student
Age: 17
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 12/2/2004
Question:
I my Earth Science book it states that it takes the Earth 23 hours and 56 mins to rotate once around the sun. If that is so then where do the extra 4 minutes go??

Replies:
Rotate about axis, not sun.

In that time, the earth has moved 1/365 in its orbit about the sun. For noon to line up with the sun the next day, we must turn a tiny bit more . . . about 4 minutes worth of rotation.

--Nathan A. Unterman


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